Kyou Kara Maou Fan Fiction ❯ Inexorable Flow ❯ Part 9 ( Chapter 9 )

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 to Melisenda for, of course, beta-reading this chapter and offering all kinds of information. Also for the piece with Yuuri and Wolfram teasing each other when, after a successful operation, they are going back to the fort.

 

Inexorable Flow

 

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

 

Part 9

 

During the few weeks of their stay, the soldiers had built a fort. It was a quite shabby structure, that for safety's sake, stood rather far from the forest. As there were not enough men since the attacks began and they had their duties of patrolling and scouting, plus working with the locals and hunting, there was hardly anyone left to defend the fort. It was made of tapered posts that were hammered into the ground in a circle. Inside the circle there were four high turrets where men stood watch.

 

Inside the fort it was quite cramped, with the horses tied to a horizontal pole and taking almost half of the ground-space. As it was late at night already, all of them were inside so as not to attract unwanted attention from thieves. Theft from the military was punished with death and a rare soul would attempt that. But for the bandits, rebels and other asocial groups, the horses would be a plum.

 

Yuuri did not want to be recognized yet, and the dark night served his intentions quite well. While their men were building tents, Yuuri, Wolfram and the captain met the second-in-command who received them with bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep. After discussing the current situation, Yuuri and Wolfram went back to the small city made of tents and hurriedly set up their own in the middle. They had a quick meal while discussing the situation then went to sleep.

 

Yuuri woke up first. He dressed and left the tent. Things looked different in the morning. The shabby structure looked even shabbier in the daylight. It was clear that all the buildings were erected with the thought of a temporary stay. There were no real roofs anywhere. All that the structures had were rainproof cloaks tossed on them.

 

Men were busying themselves with horses, breakfast and other morning duties. With the men Yuuri had brought, there were now about fifty soldiers. The rebels were said to have about fifteen riders. But that was a preliminary count. Since then, other Mazoku might have joined the group.

 

While Yuuri was walking and looking around, some soldiers recognized him, some seemed to think that they had seen him somewhere and stared at his brown hair and eyes, trying to remember where it was.

 

Yuuri headed towards a small wooden structure that he knew was a toilet. After that he washed his hands and face in the barrel that stood almost in the middle of the fort exactly for that purpose. Feeling that he was ready to start his morning, Yuuri returned to the tent to find his husband still sleeping.

 

“Wolfram?”

 

“Mmm?” the blond rumbled while turning to his other side, away from Yuuri.

 

“I know you like sleeping in, but it's about time you woke up,” Yuuri said, shaking Wolfram by his shoulder. “We are on a mission.”

 

Wolfram rolled to his back. “No, I'm on a mission,” he corrected Yuuri groggily. “You,” he yawned loudly. “You aren't even supposed to be here.”

 

“Let's not start that again,” Yuuri said, sitting down next to the sleeping-bag as it was clear that Wolfram was not going to fall asleep again.

 

“Fine,” Wolfram said, sitting up. He ruffled through his mat of hair and yawned again. With bleary eyes he gave Yuuri a hopeful look. “Food?”

 

Yuuri sighed. “Alright, go put yourself in order and I'll take a look and see what we have.”

 

When Wolfram - looking presentable - returned, Yuuri had already prepared a breakfast of what he found in their belongings. They ate and went to look for the captain and the second-in-command.

 

After spending a few minutes with the second-in-command (there was only much to discuss after the calm night), Yuuri, Wolfram, the captain and a group of ten soldiers left the base to look around. Wolfram noticed that most of the soldiers were more relaxed and hopeful, now that their powerful king was with them. The rest of them were even more worried, thinking how strong the enemy must be that the king himself had to come to these villages, forgotten by all three gods long ago.

 

The sun, rising higher and higher, warmed the morning air. The surroundings were heavily forested, a few lone houses scattered here and there, sometimes gathered into clusters. Some of the independent farms, after the recent Mazoku attacks, had been turned into piles of charred logs. Some residents had been burned alive, others escaped and now were living with their relatives deeper in the country or had returned to their native lands.

 

It was dangerous and pointless to send solitary soldiers to scout into the forests. There were traps set up by the rebels and only the locals knew the genuine paths that actually lead somewhere, instead of just dumping you into a swamp or bog. Bigger groups could be more effective, but attempts to comb out these immeasurable and impenetrable woods had not produced any results so far.

 

Before setting off from Blood Pledge Castle, Yuuri had decided that as soon as the rebels were dealt with, he would hire workers to build new houses. He was not sure if the residents would return, but the situation was rather delicate and could hurt his reputation. It was his responsibility after all - he had invited Humans to settle in Shin Makoku's territory. By doing so, he had assured their safety. Now this…he felt as if he had to personally apologize and offer his condolences to these people.

 

From the very start of his reign, the idea of Humans and Mazoku living together was met differently. Because of the constant wars and wrongs in the past, both sides were mistrustful and hated each other. The main reason for the hate, as usual, was the superstitions that arose from the differences between both cultures.

 

The villages that lay deeper in Shin Makoku had the opinion of Humans being a power that came with swords, hate, fire, death and destruction. Humans had to be annihilated. Humans were evil - that was known even by a child.

 

In higher Mazoku society, which mostly consisted of powerful element wielders, Humans were seen as weak and unworthy. They had no contracts with the elements and it was clear that they stood much lower than Mazoku. All tries to use Esoteric Stones and other magical things against Mazoku were seen as ignominy which only confirmed their rottenness. All Humans that could fight had to be exterminated. The only thing Humans were destined for was serving Mazoku, working in mines, plantations and rowing in ships. Their lands had to be taken, and it was impossible to think that those people were equal to Mazoku. Needless to say, exactly the same was thought on the opposite side: Mazoku were seen as an incarnation of evil.

 

Some Mazoku and Humans, usually the ones living near the border, close to each other, the ones that had already mixed among themselves or had children who did, were not so hostile. Seeing how their neighbors worked their lands, grew crops and cattle just as they did; seeing how their neighbors were equally distressed by armies coming and going; stealing, burning, raping and killing, all that made them think that there was not such a big difference between the two races.

 

There also were some people who had long ago tried to put an end to the wars between Mazoku and Humans and all the superstitions, and propagate a peaceful life between the races. They tried to educate and influence the various society strata, but they were despised and looked down by many noblemen. They were persecuted and, if caught, were executed. These practices forced them to leave the country. Some naive souls went to the Humans where they were met by the same fate; others chose neutral countries from which they continued their teachings.

 

When Yuuri's reign started, only few were happy with the newly issued order. A few sessions were convened where the noble families expressed their deep concern for their future. They were worried that besides the newly issued orders, there would come a time when Humans would become equal. That would damage the old, but very convenient social structure.

 

The noble families expressed their concerns to the king but their young king's enthusiasm was unbeatable. A big role was the fact that Yuuri was a half-blood himself. To say something bad about Humans was the same as saying all those things about their king. But everybody could see that the king was young and naive, and he knew nearly nothing about Shin Makoku and could be manipulated easily. The problem was Gwendal von Voltaire. The man took his responsibilities seriously. Even if he seemed not to harbor much hope that the half-baked king would be of any worth, he had turned himself into a wall between Yuuri and the nobility that aimed to influence their young king. Soon Gunter von Christ joined forces with von Voltaire and it became clear that the men were going to form the boy's views according to their own. Although it really didn't work that way, the impression was that the von Voltaire and von Christ families were the ones who were dictating terms to the young and inexperienced king. The engagement with the von Bielefelds … Yes, it was obvious that the king was in their clutches. It had been clear that this king was the most powerful being on the planet, but it took a few years for the public to see that he also had his own opinion.

 

Glancing sideways, Yuuri looked at his husband. In his youth, Wolfram, like most boys of that generation, despised Humans. Wolfram had his own little drama before Yuuri came to Shin Makoku. Wolfram had never wanted to exterminate Humans, but in his eyes they were lowly and weak creatures, depending on random magical artifacts. He never intended to let them into his milieu. The news about a half-blood brother had thrown Wolfram off balance. He felt hurt and betrayed and he did not manage to set his feelings in order. He hated Humans, but loved his brother; but his brother had been lying all the time (Wolfram considered it a lie), which had actually showed that Conrad had inherited the “sneakiness” from his “bad” Human half. It was a difficult time, and Conrad had actually never had a chance to reclaim the place that he had lost in his youngest brother's heart. As far as Yuuri had heard from Murata, that had a strong impact on Conrad. He had tried various tactics, but even if in the end Wolfram recognized him as his brother, the distance remained. And then came the time when Conrad had to play the role of a traitor and switch sides. Even if that had been pretence, it damaged his and Wolfram's relationship forever.

 

Times, things and opinions changed, but, like those never moving mountains, Wolfram still did not like Humans. Sometimes Yuuri wondered how such a bright man like his husband could be so superstitious. Of course, Wolfram's main concern was the denationalization of the Mazoku which was reasonable. But Wolfram loved him, a half-Human, and to some extent loved Conrad. He also liked Shori who was also half-Human, was on good terms with Asami, respected Murata and never cared whether his guards were Human, half-Human or Mazoku as long as he trusted their skill and loyalty. Long ago Yuuri realized that Wolfram was a hypocrite: not managing to find faults in Humans (or at least bigger faults than those in Mazoku), he still somehow managed to twist things so that he could hate and love in turns as he saw fit.

 

Yuuri's biggest mistake had been that he had shared his observances with Wolfram. He and Wolfram had nearly the nastiest row in their rows' history. Wolfram didn't talk to him almost for two weeks after that, and ever since then, always managed to envisage some specially prepared test or challenge in every dealing with Humans. Like this time: he had been sent to capture the rebellious Mazoku that were clearly saying what Wolfram thought himself - mixing with Humans would denationalize the Mazoku. But, as usual, Yuuri knew that as soon as they met Humans, Wolfram would forget his hostility and just do his job in defending helpless people. After a few days, he would mull things over in his head, but it would already be post factum and Wolfram would just let it go. Sometimes Wolfram was dense. Yuuri knew that. And he loved Wolfram even more, because that let him think that, from time to time, he was also allowed random stupidities. Yuuri didn't know, but behind their backs Kyota (when annoyed by one of them) jokingly said: “Birds of a feather flock together - one is handsome and stupid, the other stupid but handsome.” He was lucky that Yuuri had never heard that.

 

Yuuri blinked as his eyes were met by green ones which looked at him curiously, as if asking what he was thinking about. Yuuri gave a somewhat sheepish smile and concentrated on the building in front of them. A few times Yuuri stopped to talk to the locals and hear their reports about the incidents. People were terrified. Most of them, even if under the possible threat of hunger, were considering moving back to their native lands. He thought about convincing people to stay and swearing that he would deal with the rebels, but he was afraid to give empty promises when the people's lives were at stake. And the more people they met and talked to, the gloomier Yuuri became.

 

“No more, Yuuri,” Wolfram growled, after riding up to his husband. Ahead of them was the eleventh house Yuuri intended to visit. “I never knew you were a masochist! Haven't you had enough of this?!”

 

Yuuri glared at him, mulled over something in his head, finally nodding and urging his horse forward, away from the house. Wolfram rolled his eyes and in a few seconds caught up with his husband.

 

“I think it's about time we ate lunch,” Wolfram said in a commanding voice, completely ignoring Yuuri's bad mood.

 

“Fine,” Yuuri sighed, complying.

 

“Sir!”

 

Both Yuuri and Wolfram turned to the soldier who had shouted. His arm was pointing at a lone rider who was quickly catching up with them. He was still far away, crossing the meadow in a hurry. The soldier reached them a few minutes later. Hurriedly, he informed them that one of the villagers had noticed a man who wore plain clothes riding into a forest near his house. After taking a few minutes to discuss it with the captain and Wolfram, Yuuri asked the soldier to lead them to the place where the villager saw the suspicious rider disappear.

 

It took them about half an hour to get there. After talking to the villager and his family, they were assured that what he saw might have been one of the rebels going back to his camp.

 

While they were standing in the villager's yard, Wolfram wasn't too sure about following him. Instead of a rebel going back to the camp, it might have been one of them trying to lure the soldiers into a trap. With all the visits to the farms today, the presence of the king in the area wasn't exactly a secret anymore. Noticing his husband hesitating, Yuuri was sure that he was the one making his husband falter.

 

“It would be better if you returned to the fort,” Wolfram told Yuuri just as Yuuri had expected. “You'll be escorted by five men and I'll take the rest with me into the forest.”

 

“It's too dangerous - there will be too few men left for you,” Yuuri protested immediately. “We cannot waste time and let them slip away.”

 

“Yuuri…”

 

“It's a command.”

 

Wolfram said nothing, but his eyes told Yuuri that the issue was going to be raised later, when they were in private face to face, and that it was not going to be anything pleasant.

 

“On your horses!” Wolfram commanded. He got on his horse. “You,” he turned to one of the men. “Go back into the fort and tell them what happened. Get a back up of ten men.”

 

“Yes, Sir.”

 

Wolfram turned his horse around and urged it towards the forest. The rest of the men followed him. His three bodyguards caught up with him and took their positions at his sides. Yuuri also found himself in a circle of soldiers. He realized that he was a bigger handicap than he had thought earlier. If anything happened…Wolfram was going to go berserk.

 

Wolfram was not an expert at tracking, but the captain and one older soldier from the squad were good at it. After looking around at the beginning of the forest, from the treaded moss and snapped off twigs and grass blades, they discerned a trail of a lone horse.

 

Following it carefully, the group of thirteen men made their way deeper into the forest. It was much cooler in the forest where the rays of the sun did not reach far and were not so harsh. The forest was calm, only chirrups of birds and pings of insects to be heard over the sounds of the muffled hoof-falls of the horses. Various berry clusters were scattered here and there, and Yuuri suddenly had a thought that he wouldn't mind coming here in autumn to look for mushrooms. He liked mushrooms, especially fried with fresh potatoes.

 

After following the tracks for about twenty minutes, they saw that they lead further into the forest, becoming some sort of pathway. The expectations rose, but the soldiers became much more careful. Everyone in the squad became silent now. A few minutes later, the captain stopped the squad and dispatched two scouts to check the tracks in front of them.

 

A few minutes later the men came back and motioned for the rest of the squad to follow them. When they had crossed about ten meters, the scouts started making some signs with their hands, and Yuuri, not understanding, urged his horse forward.

 

“Yuuri!”

 

Yuuri didn't have time to blink before something invisible slammed into him and he was precipitated off his horse. While rolling across the hummock and over the moss and twigs while shielding his face, his shocked mind decided that it really had been a bad idea to go into the forest. Finally, his body stopped and he lifted his head.

 

“Wolfram! You alright?” he shouted.

 

“Don't shout. I'm fine,” came the impatient answer in a soft, but penetrating tone. “Where the fuck are you?”

 

“Don't curse,” Yuuri mumbled to himself while getting to his hands and knees. His head was still spinning after the short and sudden flight. Only now did he realize that it had been Wolfram who whipped him off the horse while using Yuuri's own air element.

 

“I'm here.” Holding onto the nearest tree Yuuri stood up. Walking up and looking at the place where he had been a few moments ago, he saw his horse lying on the ground while its entire body was spastically jerking. It was covered in blood, its head bent at an awkward angle. It had been a trap that had been identified by the scouts. The suspended tree trunk that had swung down with murderous intent, was loose and still swinging above the gurgling animal.

 

“Finish it off, dammit!” Wolfram growled at the soldiers, noticing his husband's transfixed stare.

 

Yuuri started at a flash of lightning that flew from the captain's palm. The horse stopped twitching.

 

Wolfram rode up to Yuuri. “You alright?”

 

Yuuri nodded meekly.

 

“Get on the damn horse!” Wolfram hissed at him. “And don't even think about moving before I tell you, got it?!”

 

Yuuri looked up at him and the hand that was held out for him. Mindlessly, he took it and was pulled up behind Wolfram. Wolfram was beside himself with anger, but, once he was seated on the horse, Yuuri could feel that his husband was shaking. The trembling lessened when he wrapped his arms around the blond's waist in a firm hold.

 

After the accident their alertness was now at the fullest. They followed the tracks deeper into the forest. Further along there were signs of other lone traces joining the track. The scouts returned with information. They reported that about half a kilometer away there was a camp. It had been heavily guarded, and they had not managed to get close enough to be able to tell how many men there were.

 

After the scouts' report, the captain and other men turned their eyes to the prince and the king. Feeling the solid weight of his husband behind him, Wolfram shook his head. Even if the camp was gone tomorrow, it was too risky.

 

“Prepare for an attack,” the king said.

 

“Yuuri!” Wolfram hissed.

 

Yuuri said nothing. Even if Wolfram's attention was going to be all on him during the battle, the soldiers that were with them were good. He knew that. One of them could take on two average Mazoku. This was their chance. If not now, then the killings of the villagers would continue and they would have to try to track these traitors down for another two weeks or a month.

 

Wolfram suddenly urged his horse forward, and Yuuri grabbed at his waist so as not to fall off. “We'll have a long talk after this, Your Majesty,” Wolfram hissed, only for Yuuri's ears.

 

Yuuri winced inwardly. His underlings did not question his orders and obeyed as subordinates should. The problem was...besides being his subject, Wolfram was his husband. Where a bodyguard would just obey, with Wolfram things changed. Annoyed and frustrated, long time ago, he had mentioned this once to Wolfram. The answer that he got shut him up for good. Wolfram said that, as a bodyguard, he had a right to knock his subject out, if he was acting like an idiot and was endangering his own security. Of course, after Yuuri had checked, he learned that this so called `right' wasn't written down anywhere, it was just how Wolfram saw things. Now they were grown men, and he knew that Wolfram did not kid with things like that. Yuuri knew that Wolfram might just do it. Everyone knew that Wolfram was his weakness and that he would not be able to punish his husband severely for failing to obey his commands. But the thing that scared Yuuri the most was that he also knew that his husband would act the same even if knowing that he would be punished with death.

 

The plan that Wolfram had offered was simple: kill the guards, charge in, burn all the tents at once and subdue the rest of the rebels. Usually these men were active during the night, so Wolfram suspected that it was a high possibility that most of them would still be asleep in their tents.

 

Yuuri didn't like the plan as he heard it. He more or less agreed with the necessity of eliminating the guards, but, in his opinion, burning sleeping people to death was over the top. Wolfram rolled his eyes at his husband as he reminded Yuuri that the rebels hadn't been any more compassionate when they attacked and killed the innocent villagers. And besides, did Yuuri honestly think that the men in the camp would just lay there and sleep until the flames reached them? No, they would run out and be so confused that they would be easier to kill. It was the idea of the wholesale slaughter that bothered Yuuri. After a quiet, but intense give and take, the argument ended with Yuuri's command that as many men as possible would be taken alive for trial and judgment. Wolfram hadn't liked it, but he revised his plans in accordance with Yuuri's wishes.

 

The camp had been created within an area with fewer trees. The camp was guarded so first, Wolfram sent two fire-wielders to take care of the two men in front of them, so that they would have a clear road for the attack. The men that stood watch didn't seem to have noticed anything. They were too late to notice two flashes of fire strings that shot out of the bushes. Silently, the two bodies sagged onto the moss. The soldiers retreated and came back to the squad, which was waiting about thirty meters away. They got onto their horses and the whole squad charged.

 

“In the name of the King, surrender!” the captain shouted, storming into the camp.

 

The attack was sudden and, as Yuuri had hoped, some shocked men did not offer any resistance. Others, though, fought back. Men poured out of the tents and fireballs with lightning bolts crossed the air, while swords slashed. The ground was shaking as both sides tried to overwhelm each other with their elements. In the middle of the forest there wasn't any lake or large body of water for the water wielders to use, so they could only trust their swords. Here and there trees and moss caught fire, the thick smoke making it hard to discern friend and foe.

 

Wolfram did not ride into battle. Softly whispering to calm his horse, he stayed back at the edge of the camp and watched his men fighting. He followed every movement in the camp, being ready to block any oncoming attack. Vaguely, he could feel Yuuri's fingers nervously clutching at his uniform.

 

Wolfram noticed two rebels who had previously surrendered come to their senses. There were not enough soldiers to tie them up and render them harmless. One of the rebels got to his feet and hurtled into one of the tents, obviously looking for his sword. Meanwhile, the second one decided that the two men that were keeping out of the battle were the most important.

 

Wolfram raised his hand to deflect the fireball. He never got the chance as an enormous whoosh of wind swept not only the fireball away, but also the man and some of the tents. A few soldiers and rebels were lifted off their feet, and tumbled along the ground, others were tossed off their horses. Dark clouds gathered over the forest immediately. A light rain started, growing heavier as the clouds built themselves higher and higher, working on extinguishing the fire.

 

“Surrender this instant or die!” Yuuri shouted.

 

One of the rebels dove for his sword that had been torn from his hand by that giant swish of air. A water dragon whooshed into the clearing and smashed into him, hurtling him into a tree where he sagged unconscious. Four more water dragons twined their way out of the forest and into the camp.

 

“I'm not kidding,” Yuuri said in the silence where only the whisper of the trees, the rain and the whooshing sounds of the five water dragons were heard.

 

Cautious, Wolfram watched one of the rebels putting his sword down. Being sure that Yuuri would extinguish any source of uncontrolled fire, Wolfram summoned two fire-lions which trotted towards the rebels to encourage them to give up. Wolfram usually avoided summoning more lions than he could follow to minimize the risk of setting something he didn't want burned on fire. Single rain droplets were dispersing with a soft hiss as soon as they landed on the fire-lions' fur. Without disturbance, they took up their stance at the soldiers' side.

 

The rebels surrendered. After they were tied up, and the wounded of both sides taken care off, Yuuri dispersed the dragons and slid off Wolfram's horse, thinking that he would take one of the rebel's mounts for himself. But after seating the prisoners onto the horses it appeared that there were not enough of the animals. Yuuri gave Wolfram a look and held out his hand for the blond. Wolfram took it and in a second Yuuri was on the horse, seated in front of his husband. Puzzled, Wolfram squirmed.

 

“It's my horse, Yuuri. I'm a better rider than you, so why do I have to ride behind you?” Wolfram protested in a whisper. He flicked his wrist to disperse his fire-lions as there was no need for them anymore.

 

“Because I'm a King; I have to victoriously lead my men back,” Yuuri grinned, in high spirits now that the matter was finally closed and that there were almost no casualties. “I'd look weird if I were doing that while sitting behind you.”

 

Wolfram rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you've just led your horse into certain death,” he muttered, but to himself so that his husband couldn't hear him. “You aren't even supposed to be here,” he said loud enough for Yuuri to hear.

 

“That's enough, Wolfram!”

 

“Fine, fine,” Wolfram muttered. Well, he agreed that it would really be good for Yuuri's image. Besides, even if angry, he had to agree that Yuuri did quite well. But he was still a little annoyed at having his horse usurped.

 

“Are you sure that it wouldn't fit better with your image as the conquering hero, if, instead of riding behind you, I rode side saddle on your lap, and gazed up adoringly at you the whole time?” he asked, the sarcasm almost, but not quite hidden in his voice.

 

Yuuri laughed. “That's a good idea, Wolfram,” he could not help answering. He shifted as if intending to change position. He suddenly yelped and sat up straighter as Wolfram's hands, which had been resting easily on Yuuri's waist, now dug in.

 

After a few seconds, when Wolfram had seemingly resigned himself to the situation and unclenched his fingers, Yuuri found that he simply could not resist teasing his husband and getting in the last word.

 

Turning his head to grin at Wolfram, who immediately regarded him with suspicion, Yuuri said, “Maybe not now....but later, when we're alone, you can sit in my lap and gaze up at me adoringly all you want. I promise.”

 

Wolfram's answering growl made Yuuri laugh.

 

They reached the fort in the late afternoon. It was decided that the rebels, with a convoy of fifteen men, would be sent to the capital right away. Yuuri and Wolfram decided to stay behind, have a good night's sleep and set off in the morning. Yuuri was also planning on talking to the villagers and reassuring them that it was safe to return. He was also planning on finding builders and managing the establishment of new houses. He ignored Wolfram's suggestion to leave it all to one of his men.

 

After having a late lunch, Yuuri, accompanied by his husband and a few soldiers, headed back to the villages. It took the rest of the day to inform people about the elimination of the enemy and find people who undertook the task of building new houses. The royal couple came back tired, but with a feeling of fulfillment.

 

XXXXX

 

It was silent in the tent. A candle was burning in a metal lantern that hung in the middle where Yuuri and Wolfram were sitting, facing each other. The sleeping-bag was pushed aside to make more space. Yuuri was chewing on a slice of dried meat. Wolfram was cutting a chunk of salami into pieces. His jerky actions made Yuuri afraid that he might cut himself.

 

“Yuuri,” Wolfram spoke without any preamble, “despite our being incredibly lucky to have you with us, and bringing this situation to an end without too much bloodshed... I do not wish to repeat myself. Your head is worth more than anyone's in Shin Makoku. And personally, to me, it's priceless. It makes me furious when you risk your life needlessly.”

 

Yuuri swallowed what he had in his mouth then uncapped a water-skin to take a few gulps of water. He knew his husband's worries and it was always the same. Arguing with Wolfram and trying to prove that all lives should be treated equally was pointless - Wolfram thought it was bullshit. As much as Wolfram was angered by Yuuri taking risks, Yuuri, in turn, was furious knowing that Wolfram wouldn't even hesitate to give his life for him. All of this talk was repetitive. As usual, for the sake of the tradition that had formed during their fourteen years of marriage, Yuuri always took the scolding as deserved, but never promised anything, so it always happened again.

 

“Fuck it,” Wolfram muttered angrily. It was obvious that Yuuri didn't regret anything. Wolfram flipped the knife he was using into the air, catching the handle then drove it down forcefully, burying the tip of the blade in the wooden board that was serving as their table. He reached out, grabbing the water-skin from Yuuri's hand to take a few gulps.

 

“Don't curse.”

 

The blond glared, but stayed silent.

 

“You piss me off,” Wolfram said after a few minutes. “You really piss me off,” he spat.

 

From the corner of the tent where he was putting what was left of their dinner into a travel bag, Yuuri turned around to look at him. Then he turned back to finish tying the bag.

 

“Well, your orgasms don't show that,” Yuuri said matter-of-factly.

 

“I'm serious, asshole!” Wolfram snorted. But the angry edge in his voice was already missing.

 

“So am I,” Yuuri sighed. He crawled over to his husband. “It's just that it's pointless to argue over things that we know won't ever change.” He leaned on the blond to kiss his temple. “Right?”

 

“You seriously piss me off.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yuuri...”

 

“Hmm?” Yuuri hummed, sliding his hands to the blond's waist.

 

“I'll hit you.”

 

“Of course, you won't. I really miss kissing you,” Yuuri muttered, nibbling on the column of the pale neck.

 

“What the hell are you doing, Yuuri?” Wolfram protested while half-heartedly trying to push his husband away.

 

“Don't play coy, Wolfram,” Yuuri muttered, seizing Wolfram's right wrist. He lifted it and then pressed his mouth to the pulse point, feeling it speed up under his kiss, while Wolfram watched him with his emerald eyes. “You are far from that,” Yuuri said after moving his lips away.

 

“What's this supposed to mean?”

 

“That you like sex very much.”

 

Wolfram chuckled at that. “Sure I do.”

 

Yuuri pressed a light kiss to the blond's mouth. “Can't wait for your lip to heal,” he said while sliding his hand south to his husband's crotch.

 

Wolfram's eyes closed and Yuuri felt a light shiver pass through the blond's body.

 

“You are very good at distracting me from being angry with you,” Wolfram hissed in pleasure as the hand started massaging and kneading. “But if you are planning on leaving me hanging… Believe me, you'll pay.”

 

Yuuri chuckled. “Well, if you finally shut your mouth, I could get down to business. Or are you planning on announcing to the entire fort what we're up to?” He pressed lightly on the blond's stomach and soon had Wolfram lying on his back. Yuuri unbuckled the blond's belt. Soon he had the trousers and underwear out of his way. The half-hard length that stood out looked inviting.

 

“Yuuri?”

 

“Damn, you really won't shut up, will you?”

 

“I just wanted to remind you that it's been a few days from the last time we washed normally.”

 

“So what do you want me to do? Give you a bath?” Yuuri asked, seizing the blond's testicles.

 

Wolfram gasped. “Well,” he purred then, “it would be a good start if you licked it clean.”

 

Chuckling, Yuuri crawled over the blond. He lightly touched Wolfram's lips with his fingers. His breath caught in his throat when the tip of Wolfram's tongue snuck out to lick at his fingertips. He watched Wolfram's slender fingers wrap around his wrist for support while the blond sat up. Wolfram sucked on one of his digits.

 

“Your hand smells of dried meat,” Wolfram said softly while his tongue flicked over the sensitive skin in between Yuuri's fingers.

 

Yuuri's dark eyelashes fluttered at the sensation. “Isn't very sexy, is it?”

 

“Mmm, what are you saying?” Wolfram hummed, his tongue sneaking in between other digits. “-Quite the opposite.” His emerald eyes grinned at Yuuri mischievously. “I like dried meat - it's a solid meal. Much better than…”

 

Yuuri's body tensed with desire as Wolfram's tongue flicked lightly over his palm, tracing the lines there.

 

Wolfram's eyes still did not leave Yuuri's “…Much better than the honey you tried before... ” he purred. “It just rots one's teeth…”

 

The ticklish erotic sensations were washing over Yuuri's body. One more minute and it would be not enough. He blinked, coming to his senses when Wolfram let go of his hand.

 

Yuuri leaned in to press his lips to the blond's neck. With his left hand, he started unbuttoning the front of Wolfram's blue uniform and pushing him down to the ground. A few seconds later his wet right hand slid down to encircle his husband's member. He stroked the length with his palm. Humming in pleasure, Wolfram spread his legs. After few firm strokes, he transferred his kisses to Wolfram's bare chest and slowly trailed his way downwards.

 

Wolfram's smell was much stronger than usual, but it wasn't unpleasant. It was just Wolfram. Pulling the foreskin down, Yuuri flicked his tongue over the slit and into it, making Wolfram gasp. Yuuri sucked on the reddish tip, then his teeth offered a slight pressure to the side. He slowly went down on the blond, while his fingers wrapped around the places that his mouth couldn't reach. Yuuri started out with a leisure pace.

 

He watched Wolfram's eyes close, the tension starting to build in the blond's body, the member in his mouth hardening. The blond soon was flushed, heat wafting off his skin. His body started wriggling and to keep him still, Yuuri held down his hips.

 

Wolfram was trying to keep silent, but from time to time soft sounds were escaping his lips. He tried to muffle them He tried to muffle them with his palm but not so successfully, but not completely successfully.

 

“Mnh…”

 

The sight of Wolfram so wanton soon made Yuuri let go of the blond's hips and reach to his own trousers. After hurriedly unzipping, he grabbed himself and started stroking in tune with his bobbing head.

 

Wolfram was close. He was desperately trying to push into Yuuri's mouth as deeply as possible, nearly choking him. Yuuri's head bobbed faster and faster, gradually making the string in Wolfram's belly tighten until it was hotly pulsing, making the blond lose all sense.

 

“Hnh! Ohhh…”

 

It all exploded when Yuuri's finger suddenly slipped in between Wolfram's thighs and into his ass.

 

“Fuck!” Wolfram gasped, his eyes rolling back in his head, his back arching.

 

Spurts of erupting seed hit Yuuri in the back of the throat. Choking a little, he swallowed.

 

After letting the softened length slide out of his mouth, he concentrated on reaching his own orgasm. After a few strong jerks, he came against Wolfram's thigh.

 

After finishing, Yuuri reached out for the cloth that they had used to wipe their hands after their meal. He wiped the seed off his fingers and cleaned up Wolfram.

 

“Mmm…” Wolfram lazily turned his head to him. “That was good,” he purred, already half-asleep.

 

Yuuri raised his head to look at him. “Seriously, I miss kissing you.”

 

Wolfram gave him a soft smile.

 

XXXXX

 

It was late in the night when Yuuri's deep sleep was disturbed by something touching him.

 

“Mmm…” Yuuri hummed. He rolled his shoulder. Was Wolfram up for another round?

 

The soft kisses and nibbles on his bare shoulder and back continued. Yuuri moaned softly at the pleasant attention. The right side of the sleeping-bag parted and a dark silhouette leaned over Yuuri's back.

 

“You smell somehow different. Is that some new… Gah!” the question was suddenly choked off.

 

“That's because he's half-Human, idiot!” Wolfram spat. He sat up, holding the intruder by his neck so that the man was almost hanging over Yuuri. “Get away from my husband!” Wolfram demanded, shoving the man toward the tent door so forcefully that the intruder nearly tumbled over.

 

A flare of fire sprung in the prince's left hand, lighting a wide-eyed soldier, and Yuuri, who quickly turned around and was staring at the man at the end of the tent. He pushed himself away from the unfamiliar face.

 

“Get out!” Wolfram snapped through clenched teeth.

 

The angry blond's face was almost enough to send the soldier into shock. He turned to another man who was staring back at him, equally stunned. Wolfram von Bielefeld had called this man “my husband”…

 

“Your Majesty!” the man scurried to get on his knees. “Your Highness! What a mistake! I'm very… Graghyah!” he gurgled as a heavy boot smashed right into his face.

 

“Which fucking part of “get out” did you not understand?!” Wolfram hissed. “Unbelievable. The nerve… The nerve of the bastard…” he growled while his hand was already groping for the second boot.

 

“Yes, yes, I'm sorry, Sir!” the man blurted before shooting out of the tent as if chased by a hundred fire-lions.

 

“Damn it,” Wolfram muttered, letting go of the boot that he had finally found and extinguishing the conjured flames. He was already settling back to sleep. “Just try to get a nap and all the perverts are all over you… Yuuri… And to think… Also… And… a wimp… Besides…”

 

Soon a soft breathing followed. Yuuri exhaled loudly in relief that the storm had passed without breaking on him.

 

XXXXX

 

Yuuri was first to wake up in the morning. He dressed and left the tent, leaving Wolfram to sleep in.

 

“Your Majesty!”

 

Startled, Yuuri jumped away from the man who had launched himself at him as soon as he left the tent.

 

“Oh, it's you,” Yuuri exhaled when his heart seemed to return to beating regularly.

 

“Your Majesty! I'm very sorry for what happened last night!” the man spilled out his words with obvious distress. “The last two days I was patrolling in the village and did not know that… I was sure that it was the tent of my friend…”

 

Yuuri ruffled through his hair, yawned then shrugged. He found the entire thing funny. “Let's say it never happened.” He scratched his head. “But my husband… Well, Wolfram might be a little vindictive.”

 

The ill-starred man grabbed at his head, imagining what might happen to him; von Bielefeld's jealousy was well-known by everyone in the kingdom.

 

Yuuri waved it off. “Don't worry about it. If you explain everything truthfully, he'll just let it go. He's very reasonable when it comes to it. Well, most of the time,” he added after a second thought.

 

After washing up and having a quick look around the fort, Yuuri returned to the tent where he found Wolfram already up and dressing. The two of them then had their breakfast from their supplies. Yuuri noticed that Wolfram was in a very good mood.

 

“You know,” Wolfram chuckled while pulling his boots on, “I had such an idiotic dream last night... ” He laughed again then raised his head to look at Yuuri. “Some soldier mixed the tents up and forced himself on you.”

 

“Oh, really?” Yuuri squeaked. “What an interesting dream…”

 

Suddenly, Yuuri shot to the exit, where after brushing the material aside, he almost collided with the aforementioned soldier. The soldier seemed to have heard what was said by the prince and was unsure as to what to do now. His king's gaze told him everything: If he ever showed his face to the prince, he was going to be sent deep into the mountains to herd goats for the rest of his life. If he was lucky.

 

“Yuuri, you're blocking the exit,” Wolfram complained, smacking his husband on his behind to make him move.

 

“Ah, sorry,” Yuuri apologized, stepping outside, giving a last glance at the retreating back of the soldier.

 

They set off soon after talking with the second-in-command. Yuuri decided to leave the fort functioning for awhile to ensure that there was no threat left. The journey back was much less stressful. Sometimes Yuuri felt like he was on a picnic. He wished that they could travel like this forever.

 

TBC