Kyou Kara Maou Fan Fiction ❯ Working out the Paradox ❯ Part 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou! I'm not making any money.

Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), Yuuri x Wolfram.

Summary: Ehhh… I think the title should speak for itself. The main goal of this fic is to make a completely straight guy fall in love with a boy… Will I reach that goal? - I don't know that yet.

 

A/N 1: I hate Greta; she is nonexistent in this story, and Yuuri has never adopted her.

A/N 2: beta-read by punkin02. Check out her gallery on y!Gallery: http://yaoi.y-gallery.net/user/punkin02/

 

Working out the Paradox

 

by chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com)

 

Part 6

 

Wolfram cocked his head to the side then frowned at the wall. “I don't like the color!” he announced after observing the new wallpapered wall. “Try something else.”

 

During those three days while Yuuri was absent, Wolfram had driven the maids into despair. Wolfram's moods were blacker than black, and, as promised, he was successfully prosecuting his plan of turning the maids' lives into hell.

 

“Yes, Your Highness!” the red-head maid bowed and took off with the wallpapers to look for something else.

 

“And the juice was too cold this morning!” Wolfram sent after her quickly retreating steps. He had always known he was a bit of a sadist. Not that he really cared about it.

 

Wolfram walked over to his table and sat down on the chair next to it. He was bored out of his mind. In the evenings, when it was cooler, he at least sparred with Conrad, but the days…they were driving him mad. He knew that, very likely, the heat had nothing to do with it - it was because he had too much free time on his hands and couldn't stop thinking about Yuuri.

 

XXXXX

 

Shori looked at the gift their mother had given to Yuuri for his birthday and tried to suppress his cackle. Unsuccessfully. Yuuri turned his head to him, glaring daggers.

 

“Why don't you try it on? It would make her very happy,” Shori grinned, unaffected.

 

Yuuri's eyes seemed to burn a hole in Shori's forehead. Then Yuuri turned back to the box on the floor that contained a white puffed wedding dress. Yuuri's eyes sparkled dangerously and a smirk appeared on his face.

 

Murata's head shot up at a loud crash upstairs. After a second there was a sound of door slamming, and Shori almost flew downstairs. Yuuri was shortly after him. Shori, with his eyes almost delirious, shot to the door that led outside. Before running off, he had managed to shout something like “Yuuri went mad” but that was blurred by Yuuri's battle-cry, his majutsu roaring around him and a white dress scuffling in his hand.

 

Unfazed, Murata went back to reading his porn magazine.

 

Yuuri and Shori's parents cast a look to each other and smiled happily. It was like the good old days. Although, this time it was Yuuri chasing after Shori and not the other way round.

 

“Shori! Shori! Stop! Dammit!” Yuuri hissed in pain as his foot caught on the lump on the ground and he fell with his knee on the concrete. Luckily, the damn dress somehow got entangled between his legs and his knee landed on the material, making the hit much softer.

 

Shori turned around to look at his cursing brother. He hesitated but after making a step towards Yuuri and seeing his brother's head shoot up and his eyes blazing, changed his mind and ran farther.

 

“Goddamn!” Shori yelped as a bolt of majutsu hit him directly on his behind, sending him face sprawled on the lawn that was on his right. He was glad that he didn't wear his glasses. He spat the grass out of his mouth. Shori yelped again as the next second Yuuri jumped onto him and tackled him to the grass.

 

“You will wear it!” Yuuri hissed.

 

“No way!” Shori couldn't stop laughing, trying to buck his brother off his back. “Are you crazy?!” he laughed again as Yuuri started tugging at his clothes. Actually, physically, Yuuri couldn't do anything to him - he was much stronger and heavier than his younger brother.

 

“Maybe then you'll finally stop laughing at me!” Yuuri smacked Shori on the back of his head.

 

“But it's really funny! And it wasn't me who gave you that dress!” Shori protested, laughing his head off.

 

“Fuck off and die!” Yuuri glared at the back of the dark head.

 

“Yuuri, are you really sure about Wolfram?”

 

Yuuri blinked at Shori's back, his surprise at the unexpected question obvious. “W-what?” He grunted showing his surprise then Shori rolled them over, pushing him with his back onto the grass. Shori sat down next to his confused brother.

 

“I mean… You show very clearly that you don't want that kind of relationship with him, but are you really sure? Won't you regret it later?”

 

His brother kept surprising him. Yuuri lifted himself on his elbows. “Did Wolfram or Conrad talk to you? If he…”

 

“No,” Shori shook his head. “None of them did.”

 

Yuuri cast his eyes over Shori's face. He sighed and fell back to the grass with his back. “The thought of doing that with a guy disgusts me.”

 

“Really?” Shori looked at Yuuri, serious. “And the thought of sleeping with a woman scares you?”

 

Yuuri's eyes shot open. “It's completely different!” he glared at his brother, flushed.

 

Shori didn't say anything, he was sure anyway that Yuuri knew what he wanted to say.

 

“Listen,” Yuuri sat up shortly. “I'm not gay!”

 

“This has hardly to do with that,” Shori shook his head. “I have never seen you care about anyone else as you care for Wolfram. Even after you started trying to distance yourself from him…”

 

“He's my friend! He has rescued my ass more than one time, and of course I'd do the same for him!”

 

Shori didn't even bother arguing with that. “I can't get inside your head and say if you are gay, bisexual or whatever. Actually it doesn't matter at all.

 

“You think you'll meet a cute girl and will feel more than you feel for Wolfram? It may happen,” he nodded. “But it may also not happen, and for the rest of your life you'd regret pushing Wolfram away. That what he is offering…let's just say one can't find it lying somewhere in the field. So think about it very carefully before refusing.”

 

Yuuri stayed silent for some time then plopped back onto the grass. “What the hell happened that you came to aid him? I thought you were against Wolfram getting into your little brother's pants…” Yuuri jerked at the Shori's heavy shadow that fell over him. Yuuri blinked at Shori's raised hand. With a shock, he suddenly realized that Shori had hardly kept himself from slapping him. Unbelievable.

 

“You know what, Yuuri?” Shori lowered his arm. “You are not even worth him.”

 

Wide-eyed, Yuuri watched his brother's receding back.

 

XXXXX

 

Confused, Gunter watched Wolfram's back as he was busying himself with something on the ground. When Wolfram raised his handwork into the air, Gunter stepped back.

 

“What are you doing?” Gunter asked carefully. His thoughts started whirling to the conclusion that throughout the long hot day the sun had fried the young prince's brain. In that week while Yuuri had been absent, Wolfram's behavior started worrying the entire castle.

 

Wolfram raised the stick with a wrapped pink nightgown on it. “What I'm doing?” Wolfram repeated. “Burning the damn bitch, of course!” he let out a laugh filled with malevolence.

 

“Eh?” Gunter took several steps back again. “Can I ask why? It was your favorite nightgown…”

 

Gunter jumped back when Wolfram's furious gaze nailed him. He felt his back hit the wall.

 

“My favorite nightgown?!” Wolfram hissed out, his face contorted in anger. With a strong shove he stuck the pole into the ground, and the wind picked at the frilly material, making it flutter in time with its whiffs. The prince retreated aside to admire his handiwork.

 

“I hate it with a passion!”

 

A fireball appeared in Wolfram's hand and then engulfed the nightgown. Gunter watched the hissing and coiling material while it burned, lighting the space around itself, creating quite an eerie sight in the dark yard.

 

“Why did you wear it then?” Gunter wondered. “And why are you burning it now?”

 

With an evil grin Wolfram stared at the pink that was turning black. “I figured that despite Yuuri always saying that he didn't like it, he might be lying. I thought it would make me look more…feminine,” he scowled.

 

“But it didn't work. I suppose no nightie can cover the fact that I have a dick,” the blonde snorted, remembering Yuuri's words. “Here,” he grinned. “Dead, the bitch!” he pointed his finger at the smoldering pole that held nothing more only several crisps.

 

“Don't curse,” Gunter muttered. He wasn't worried about curse words anymore. He was more worried about Wolfram, who looked like a maniac at the moment. “Have you finally believed he hated it?”

 

“No,” Wolfram shook his head. “I still think he liked it. But I really hated it, and as the need for dressing that…that…grrr! is gone…”

 

“Is gone..?” Gunter wondered.

 

“Yeah, is gone,” Wolfram said before walking away. “I had quit with that.”

 

XXXXX

 

Silence settled in the kitchen. Watching his brother from the corner of his eye, Yuuri stirred his rice. They hadn't talked after that incident. Yuuri was still wondering what made Shori lash out like he did on that day. His and Wolfram's relationship wasn't Shori's business, and he wasn't going to let himself be pushed around.

 

Yuuri hadn't thought about Shori's words much, rather why Shori had said them. There was one weird and obviously stupid suspicion he was having, but couldn't get rid of it. Did Shori fall in love with Wolfram? But maybe he was misunderstanding that. Those words “You are not even worth him” could be seen in many different shades. Besides, he couldn't remember that Shori had ever been interested in a guy.

 

Yuuri sighed and put some rice into his mouth, thinking that if his suspicions were true, then things might become much easier. There was no problem with him if Shori liked Wolfram and was jealous. But Wolfram… Well, Shori was older, more mature, handsome and soon to be the king of the Earth, so maybe Wolfram would direct his attention to Shori. But first, Wolfram had to know that Shori was interested.

 

Sucking on his chopsticks, Yuuri decided to work on it, and as soon as they finished dinner, cornered Shori in his room.

 

Shori blinked at Yuuri who was standing opposite him, leaning over his chair, Yuuri's face so close to his that it seemed Yuuri was attempting to merge them. Shori leaned away from his brother, his head almost hitting the monitor of his personal computer.

 

“Yuuri, do you know that there's such thing as “personal space”?” Shori frowned at him.

 

Yuuri ignored the comment. “Shori, are you in love with Wolfram?”

 

Shori blinked hard. Once, twice and then painted all red. “Of course, I'm not in love with Wolfram!” he stuttered. “How did you get that idea at all?! I was just trying to…” Shori leaned away as Yuuri's face appeared next to his again.

 

“Shori…?”

 

“I'm not in love!” Shori spluttered. “What the hell has gotten into you?! You don't need to be jealous - he's all yours for all I care!”

 

Yuuri tapped his fingers on his chin. “Aha. So you feel guilty for wanting your brother's fiancé?”

 

Shori managed to only blink and then to stare at Yuuri while his younger brother went on about how he didn't mind his and Wolfram's relationship and that in fact it would be good, and that they only needed to make Wolfram believe that. Did Gunter hypnotize Yuuri or something?

 

“Yuuri, I don't love Wolfram,” Shori tried again after Yuuri made a break to inhale some air. “I like that girl I go to the lectures about ancient history with… I was just pissed that you brushed Wolfram off so lightly…”

 

Yuuri closed his mouth. He sighed and plopped onto Shori's bed. “Lightly?” he chuckled, shaking his head. “You shouldn't talk that way about what you know nothing about. I'm not brushing him off. It's just that I can't give him the relationship he wants. It's impossible. Wolfram has to understand that, and this has to stop.”

 

Shori watched as Yuuri slumped on his bed, then nodded. There was no help to it if Yuuri felt that way. “He knows that,” Shori said softly. “But it isn't as easy as you think…”

 

Yuuri snorted. “Give me some credit! You seem to think that I don't understand how he feels or how I'm hurting him,” he snorted again. “I perfectly know all that, and that's why I'm trying to end it before it gets any worse.”

 

Shori watched his younger brother and wondered how he hadn't noticed Yuuri grow up. Yuuri was spending too much time away. He was still a kid, but the new responsibility, the dangers he had been through made Yuuri mature faster. The realization that they were growing apart and going each to his own way hit Shori hard.

 

“When are you going back?” Shori asked.

 

“Tomorrow,” Yuuri answered in a soft voice.

 

Yuuri had already had his birthday party here. There weren't many people who had come. Only five: Murata and four other guys from his class. That made Yuuri realize one thing - his place wasn't here anymore. But despite, because of the time gap, he spent more time in Shin Makoku, he knew he was going to finish school and his studies on the Earth. He had decided on that long ago. It was all good and well while it was summer, but soon he'd have to come back and stay here much longer, and meanwhile the time in Shin Makoku would jump and run to overcome everything, leaving the others behind.

 

XXXXX

 

“You call this pajamas?!” Wolfram yelled at the red-haired maid. “It's a damn dress!” he shook the frilly outfit against the maid's nose.

 

“But… it's very similar to what His Highness usually wears…” she looked at Wolfram teary-eyed. It was two weeks after the king had gone to the Earth, and the prince hadn't relented a bit.

 

“And THAT'S WHY I wanted something different than that fucked up pink dress. I hate it!” Wolfram threw the dress into the maid's face. “Get me something similar to what Yuuri is usually wearing! Oh, don't bother!” he snickered then. “I'll go buy it myself, because you probably wouldn't even manage to find the market!” with a loud whiff he plopped onto the bed, his new mattress bouncing merrily.

 

Wolfram slapped himself on the forehead when he saw tears gathering in the maid's eyes. “For god's sake…” he muttered. “Fine, I will stop shouting at you, just go and buy something normal. Thanks for the flowers, by the way,” he motioned at the bedside-cabinet where a colorful bouquet stood. “They are nice.”

 

Wolfram sighed at a bright smile that was offered by the maid. He hid his face in his pillow. “I'm sorry,” he muttered.

 

The maid only nodded at his back, accepting the apology. “Would His Highness prefer blue then?”

 

“Anything but pink,” Wolfram groaned. He felt ashamed now for spilling his frustrations on those around him when the real cause of his mood was not available. He was behaving stupid and childish.

 

Deciding to stop this self-pity parade, Wolfram got up from the bed. Leaving the maid behind him, he went to the stables, mounted his horse, and, without telling anything to anyone, went for a ride to the same lake he took Yuuri to a couple of weeks ago.

 

XXXXX

 

All drenched, sitting in the fountain in the yard of the former previous king shrine and the current shrine of the God of War, Yuuri decided that he was starting to develop a distaste for fountains…or for pools, or for lakes, or for water in general.

 

Yuuri stood up, waded to the side of the fountain, and climbed over it. Then he decided that the hot season had not ended in time - it was chilly with that wet uniform.

 

As there was no maid anymore who could predict Yuuri's arrival, Yuuri wasn't disturbed by Gunter catching him off guard and hugging and fondling the crap out of him, which, after realizing that, made Yuuri's mood lighter.

 

Yuuri and Murata went to the gates and simply let themselves out. Yuuri waved his hand at the guards who were stationed at the other side of the gates and started climbing downhill.

 

“Yuuri?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Where the hell I'm going to stay now?” Murata glared at his king.

 

“In the castle, where you are supposed to stay,” Yuuri shrugged. “You are the Great Sage, so stop behaving like a great lecher.”

 

Through the top of his glasses Murata looked at Yuuri. Then he pushed his glasses up his nose. “Yuuri, actually you don't know me and you don't know how I behave normally.”

 

Yuuri shrugged. Murata was starting to piss him off with that attitude. “However you behave, I'm your king, and if I said that you are not to live in that shrine and not to chase every damn skirt, you won't,” he said.

 

Murata stopped to stare at Yuuri's receding back. Yuuri had surprised him. It seemed that while he was playing away with the maids, Yuuri had developed a firmer backbone. Murata grinned; about time.

 

Yuuri and Murata were met warmly like usual. Gunter was immediately at Yuuri's side, and Yuuri was ushered to his workroom to overlook the papers, and on their way Gunter filled Yuuri in about recent events. Resignedly, Yuuri sat down at his table, took a pen in his hand (he had brought the pen from the Earth to make the whole process faster and more efficient) and started working.

 

It was late evening when Yuuri finally decided to finish his paperwork. The piles on the table seemed to hardly lessen but it was time for dinner thus Yuuri put his pen down and went to the dining-room. He was surprised to find an empty chair next to him.

 

“Where's Wolfram?” Yuuri wondered, digging into his salad. “To think of it…He hadn't come to greet me…”

 

“Maybe YOU should come to him once,” Murata swallowed his potato innocently.

 

Yuuri realized that he was going to regret accommodating Murata in the castle. Yuuri turned to look at Conrad who seemed to be a bit concerned after his words.

 

“We thought Wolfram was with His Majesty…” Gwendal gave a worried look to Conrad.

 

“Well, he isn't with me,” Yuuri said. “Where is he, then?”

 

Conrad quickly stood up and went somewhere, leaving Yuuri to stare at the door. Yuuri turned to Gwendal.

 

“We don't know where Wolfram is,” Gwendal said. “We have heard he was seen riding his horse outside the castle in the morning. We had been sure he came back and was with His Majesty.”

 

“So…” Yuuri drawled. “In other words, you want to say that Wolfram went missing? Can't he be visiting some friend or… I don't know!” Yuuri threw his hands, feeling more and more worried each second. Wolfram had never spent a night away from the castle. He would have at least told someone he was going to.

 

“Announce the search,” the king said after Gwendal shook his head in denial at his last question. “Question the servants then organize several parties and go searching for him,” he ordered, leaving the table, hardly having touched anything.

 

“I'm gonna kill him for this,” Yuuri growled, and, to Gunter's horror, took a bowl with noodles in his hand before going to the door.

 

“So, any news?” Yuuri asked Conrad while finishing eating. Holding the bowl in his palm, he followed Conrad who was almost running to the yard where Gwendal and Gunter were already organizing men for the searching party. There were about fifty men in the yard, the sparse light of the last sunrays disappearing behind high walls. Yuuri frowned after Conrad shook his head in denial and related to Yuuri what the maid told him: Wolfram didn't say a word about where he was going.

 

Their heads turned to the gate. Wolfram urged his tired horse forward to the general. Wolfram looked like hell itself - his hair tousled, burnt here and there, his uniform torn and covered in ashes, his face one smeared mess. He stopped shortly when he reached Gwendal, Wolfram's burning eyes falling on his brother.

 

“We are under attack! All men after me! General, get the fucking army and my bodyguards to the Hotamu lake surroundings!” Wolfram yelled out at Gwendal who immediately nodded and, not questioning for now, turned to his lieutenant general, already spilling orders.

 

Wolfram jumped off his white foaming horse, pushed the nearest soldier off his horse and jumped into the saddle. Then Wolfram turned to the general again. “It's the kingdom of Farington. The bastards somehow managed to get the whole army here! I hardly got my ass out of the forest,” he cursed.

 

Gwendal nodded. He turned to Gunter but Gunter was already giving orders about informing their allies about the attack and sending a message to Caloria to get their army behind the intruders. Gwendal turned his head to Conrad but Conrad was already organizing the soldiers. Gwendal loved when they all were so in tune with each other. No time to waste, then.

 

Gwendal jumped onto his horse.

 

“Wolfr…” Completely lost, Yuuri blinked while Gwendal and Conrad were already turning their horses towards the gate. He blinked again as Wolfram's burning gaze fell on him.

 

“Your Majesty,” Wolfram quickly inclined his head, not really paying attention. “Secure the king!” he yelled at Yuuri's bodyguards, tugging at the reins, turning his horse around and riding back to the gate. He knew that alone with these several men he would do nothing much except dying, but he couldn't just sit idly.

 

“Your bodyguards?” Gwendal shouted over the noise, following his brother who was showing the way.

 

“They weren't with me,” Wolfram shouted back. “When will the army be ready?” he shouted again.

 

The general frowned but there was no time for that. “After about one hour. My second-in-command will take care of that. We'll meet near the forest.”

 

Wolfram cursed again. “Then meanwhile we'll have to hold them up to prevent from coming further into the city. I think they used the taboo method - there's no way they could have simply snuck that deep into the country!” he said to which Gwendal nodded, agreeing.

 

Yuuri brushed off someone's hands that tried to usher him back into the castle. Instead he squeezed his already empty bowl into those hands. “Give me my horse!” Yuuri yelled. After his bodyguards just gazed at him, shifting from one foot to another, Yuuri realized that he really would have given half of the kingdom for a horse.

 

“Give me my fucking horse this instance or I'll send you all on the road to Hades!” the king screamed in fury, feeling the majutsu starting course in and through his body, his hair lengthening.

 

Yuuri's threats had always worked better than his orders, and, after one minute, he was saddling his horse, Morgif fastened at his side, his bodyguards trying to catch up with him while they all were rushing to draw level with the princes and their men in front of them.

 

Wolfram cursed after seeing Yuuri trailing along, but he knew that if Yuuri had decided on that, there was no way to change his mind. He just hoped that the king wouldn't get himself killed.

 

While on top of a hill, already from far away Gwendal was able to see the smoke coiling low in the damp evening air.

 

“Your doing?” the general shouted to Wolfram.

 

Wolfram nodded. “Yeah, I set the forest afire while defending myself. But it seems it had also worked in slowing them down. The surroundings must have become a slaughterhouse by now.” He faltered. “Actually I don't think it's wise to approach without the army… They'll just hunt us down like rabbits.”

 

The general looked at his brother from aside. Like rabbits… Wolfram must have killed at least fifty of them to have managed escape and report to the castle. The general shrugged then turned around to look how the king was doing. “Well, in worst case, we have a one man army following us,” Gwendal muttered under his breath.

 

“There they are!” Wolfram shouted, motioning forward with his hand at the moving ground in front of them. “The scouts should be somewhere around; be careful!”

 

Gwendal followed Wolfram's gesture, and his eyes set on a waving sea of green and brown. It was not a uniform, it was a camouflage.

 

“How do you know it's Farington?!” Conrad shouted to Wolfram, wondering how Wolfram had noticed them at all.

 

“I know what language I'm cursed at in!” Wolfram grinned.

 

A fireball appeared in Wolfram's right hand and then, with all his might, he threw it towards the moving sea. The fireball crossed the distance like lightning and exploded in the first ranks of the army. The men scattered around, leaving their dead and hurt comrades. Some of them were screaming and trying to put the fire on their clothes and hair out.

 

Gwendal stopped the horse and jumped to the ground; the ground, after the impact with his fist, starting to shake. A crack split the earth instantly, the tail of the crack turning into a huge gulf just at the other side of the army where most of the men had flocked from the first lines after Wolfram's attack.

 

“Stop that killing this instance!” Yuuri roared, drawing the reins after finally catching up with them. “Get their superiors!”

 

Wolfram cast a sideway look at his king. “Your Majesty… Any plan how to do that?” he motioned at the army that was quickly moving forward.

 

Yuuri blinked at Wolfram. “Well…” The king's gaze fell on the quickly approaching cavalry - they were obviously ordered to remove them out of the army's way. The leaders were somewhere in the rest of that floating mass behind the cavalry. But to get there…and to find them and to capture them… It was impossible, and it would never work. And if he hesitated any longer, it would be not the army of the enemy he would need to be worried about, but their own skin and his own country and his own people lives. “Well…” Yuuri rubbed his forehead fervently.

 

“I see…” another fireball appeared in Wolfram's palm. “Your Majesty, you should stay back - it would be a big problem if they captured His Majesty…” he said before throwing the fireball into the approaching cavalry.

 

TBC