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Determination	By : kre8tive Category: +G to L > Kyou Kara Maou Views: 4388 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own kyou kara maou nor do i gain anything from this story

Chapter List
- 9
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- 11
Disclaimer: I do not own Kyo Kara Maoh. I only own the appreciation I have for my readers and their support. =)

Determination Chapter 10 – Maou Restrained

“Alright” Yuuri said, mainly to himself.

“What did you say Yuuri?” Wolfram asked?

Yuuri walked over to the smaller man and stood beside him. Conrad noticed the movement and turned around. Yuuri looked at Conrad and Wolfram directly.

“Conrad, Wolfram,” His pitch black eyes were serious and his tone was firm, as if in command mode.

“Drop your swords and move to the corner.”

“What?”

Wolfram was more than slightly taken aback. Yuuri, his Yuuri, just told him to basically surrender.

“Yuuri, what the hell?” Wolfram was confused.

“Do it.” The double black king ordered. As tired as everyone knew he had to be, Yuuri’s stance never wavered and he held a firm look, the stubborn one that wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

Conrad shifted his concentration from protection mode to trying to see if Yuuri was serious. He couldn’t ignore what he just heard. He stared directly in Yuuri’s black orbs, which reflected back at him with confidence and an expectation of obedience.

Since they were in the bedroom, Conrad picked up that something was off with Yuuri, that he had been acting strangely, but this was a whole new development.

“What? Giving up already? Aw that’s no fun.” The loud mouth ninja behind them was slightly disappointed, expecting more of a fight. Now it appears the Demon King was giving up without the slightest struggle.

The smaller ninja that Yuuri stood beside watched Yuuri wearily, he had been caught off guard earlier with one of the powers from the Maou. However, he figured that if the Maou planned to do something, making his men stand down wouldn’t be necessary.

He didn’t say anything, just observed Yuuri silently and waited to see what happened. If Yuuri did anything then he’d knock him out right then.

Wolfram was in more disbelief than anybody. “Yuuri, you can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

Wolfram wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew this wasn’t right. Yuuri’s not suppose to turn on him like this.

“No.”

“Drop your sword Wolfram. Give up.” Yuuri repeated. Conrad looked at Yuuri long and hard. He was torn between what to do. If he did as Yuuri asked, then there was a pretty good chance something would happen to Yuuri once he dropped his guard. Yet if didn’t and decided to fight against the two intruders anyway, he got the feeling things would also turn out badly.

“I refuse.” Wolfram stated. He gripped his sword tightly.

“I don’t know what’s going on with you Yuuri, but I’m not surrendering to these people nor am I just going to let you give up that easily.” Wolfram got in his attack stance. “I’ll fight and die before I give up! He had Greta Yuuri, remember? The bastard has to pay!”

Yuuri could see the fire in Wolfram’s eyes and could feel the sincerity of his words. Yuuri admired that about Wolfram, how fierce and loyal he could be, yet still he was stubborn as ever, which Yuuri didn’t need at the moment. He needed Wolfram to see that he was leaving with the ninjas of his own will, just so nothing would happen to him.

“Wolfram please, I need you to stay here. Drop your sword.”

“No.”

“Now!”

“No!”

By now Conrad had partially figured out what to do. He knew Yuuri would never go against them without cause, as he was also guilty of that when ordered by Shinou to leave Yuuri’s side. During that time, Yuuri believed in him when no one else did and for whatever reason, still trusted him. Those thoughts of then helped Conrad make up his mind.

So like Yuuri did, Conrad would trust Yuuri now. Wolfram certainly wasn’t going to cave easily, but he knew something needed to happen before things got a little too edgy. The loud mouth ninja was clearly impatient, and although he didn’t show it Conrad was pretty sure his partner was too.

“Wolfram.” Conrad called. The blond was valiantly refusing to give up, ready to make a second attempt at the ninja in front on him. “What Conrad? Surely you believe we can take these guys, right?”

Wolfram heard no answer, and when he turned at towards his brother, he saw Conrad’s usual soft expression turn serious, before Wolfram saw and heard Conrad’s sword hit the floor with a loud clang.

“Yep, it’s over now.” The big ninja commented.

Wolfram’s face clearly showed of shock. “What are you-”

“Wolfram, these men are not ordinary intruders. They entered undetected and were able to kill our guards with ease. One is pretty fast and strong, and I had to watch myself and fully concentrate on him just to defend properly. The other was able to get capture Greta, your daughter, and bring her to this room with ease, also nearly killing her and you in a simple move that was because of a rash decision. Although not as strong as the big one, I’m willing to bet he’s much faster and more calculating in his fights. If you were to attack him, you would be dead before you could swing your sword anywhere close to him. Drop the sword.”

Wolfram couldn’t believe his ears. His was blood beginning to boil. “What?! Are you serious?! We have to try!”

“Are you willing to take that chance?”

Wolfram was baffled. This wasn’t right. It went against every part of his inner soldier instinct to surrender without trying, or to even surrender at all. But in truth he knew Conrad was right, he didn’t even have time to react when his throat was nearly sliced open. The big ninja walked over to Wolfram, tired of watching everybody debate about shit. He towered over the blond, staring him down. “So what’s it gonna be little man?”

Wolfram hand was visibly trembling as he struggled within himself. He wanted to fight, it was a part of him, but he already went down that road.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Wolfram opened his hand and dropped his sword. Once the clang of the sword hitting the floor came, Wolfram was visibly shaking, seething with the anger that he was trying hard to contain, his pride suffering from a wound that would not heal unless he fought back. But for Yuuri and pretty much his own good, Wolfram silently walked over to a corner of the room. Conrad followed a step behind, knowing how much giving in had to affect his baby brother.

Internally breathing a sigh of relief and thanking Conrad, Yuuri pressed forward while things were moving. He turned towards the small ninja and glared directly into his cold, merciless eyes. “If you or anyone else so much as touches a hair on my friends, my family, my daughter, or my fiancé, I will personally hunt each and every one of you down myself and make sure you suffer a fate worse than death.” Yuuri had no reason to hold back his dislike and personal thoughts from the ninja. He was dead serious and promised to remain true to his word if his demand was not carried out.

The smaller ninja showed no reaction, his eyes showing not the slightest emotion. He simply turned towards the door, his back turned towards Yuuri. “They’ll be fine as long as you don’t try anything, which would be wise.”

Yuuri didn’t say anything but narrowed his eyes in contempt for the man. He took one last look at Wolfram. He held a defeated look, mixed with a look of vengeance. Yuuri understood maybe more than anyone else how hard it was to give up when all you want to do is fight and protect those closest to you.

Seeing Wolfram as such hurt Yuuri, and the double black turned away. “Come.” The pale eyed ninja said simply as he walked through the door.

Yuuri followed behind, satisfied that somehow he had managed to save his daughter and stop Conrad and Wolfram from getting hurt. Now that that was done, he had no idea what he was going to do next. He really was tired and was already pushing himself when he used one of his new Maou powers, one he didn’t even master yet. Add the physical and emotional stress and Yuuri was worn for the night, but kept pushing anyway.

“Finally. Oh well Weller. Seems we’ll have our fight some other time. I guess I’ll get serious then…hehe.” The big ninja said, laughing as he followed after his partner and Yuuri. Conrad didn’t respond, but just watched as he exited the room.

Now walking between the ninjas without really knowing what was going to happen next, Yuuri’s mind drifted back towards Wolfram. The Maou told him that he did good and at least Wolfram was okay, but Yuuri still didn’t feel any better. He took Wolfram’s pride as a proud fiancé and soldier and stepped on it. Only a couple of words ran through his mind at the moment, before Yuuri felt a small, momentary warmth in his chest. When it went away, Yuuri then focused on what was happening and finding way out of his predicament.

In the room, Wolfram was debating still on whether or not to grab his sword and charge after Yuuri when he suddenly got a warmth in that same spot in his chest for what was maybe only a second or two.

Even though it didn’t last long, Wolfram could definitely tell it was Yuuri. It seemed sad, but sure. In his head, Wolfram felt as though he could hear a few simple words:

I love you. I’m sorry.

With one in front of him and one behind him, Yuuri contemplated his next move as he walked between the ninja’s. Neither one had said anything yet, and they kept walking calmly as if nothing unusual was happening like kidnapping the Demon King and they were simply taking a stroll throughout the castle.

“Don’t do anything rash Yuuri. They seem to have kept to their word about not trying anything so far.” The Maou warned.

‘I know. But something seems off, where are-”

Yuuri didn’t get to finish his question as he suddenly tripped on something pretty big. Being that it was in the middle of the night and the castle hallways weren’t lit completely, it was hard to see and easy to miss something if you weren’t paying attention.

Both ninjas stopped and looked at Yuuri as he glanced down to see what he tripped on. As soon as he saw it, his expression instantly became a horrified one. Lying on the floor was one of the castle guards, dead in his own pool of blood due to a stab wound.

Having been in Shin Makoku for awhile longer and having grown up some, he was able to handle some things better, however some things he still would rather prevent from happening or seeing. Instantly Yuuri felt himself get mad. He looked at the small ninja.

“You! You killed him didn’t you? Why?! Why did you have to kill him?”

The small ninja said nothing, simply turning and continued walking. The other one gave Yuuri a hard push from behind. “What does it matter? He’s dead so who cares.”

He pushed Yuuri hard again to get him to keep walking. Even though Yuuri wanted nothing more than to just giving these two a piece of his mind, his body couldn’t take it at the moment and he had to keep moving. He started walking again, angry at the fact someone had already died. Died just because someone wanted to get to him, the Maou.

“It’s a harsh reality Yuuri. No one is ever truly safe in the world.” The Maou answered.

‘I know.’

“Time for justice will come, but now is not the time. Just follow and survive so his death shall not have been in vain.”

‘Do you think anyone else got hurt?’

“Have you seen any other guards since we’ve been walking?”

Yuuri hadn’t, which answered his question.

Yuuri was sickened at the though of his men getting killed off. They were only doing their jobs, and they died, probably without a real chance to defend their selves judging by how fast these two moved. Innocent men, some with wives and kids, losing their lives just so some sadistic mercenaries could get to him.

Yuuri clenched his fist, feeling himself getting even angrier. In a situation like this back when he first arrived, Yuuri would have lost control due to his emotions and let his Maou-self take over, but having practiced controlling his powers over the years and in his crash course with the Maou during his coma, he learned how to handle better. Suddenly, the small ninja in front of him stopped. Without turning around he spoke to Yuuri.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you Yuuri Heika. You have already proven your powers fatigued, and attacking us may not be the best option for you at the moment.”

Yuuri knew he was right, but he was still upset.

“You killed them!” He said through gritted teeth.

No answer.

“Why did you have to kill them to get to me? And what are you going to do with me? Why are you hurting my people and threatening my family? Who are you?!”

Still silence.

“Answer me!”

Yuuri heard a sigh behind him. “Look kid-”

Then the smaller one turned around to stare directly in Yuuri eyes, his face close to Yuuri’s. His tone hostile.

“My name is Sai, and his is Kane. We are part of an elite group with specialties. Your men were killed because it was necessary in order to make sure there were no unexpected hitches. We are under orders to bring you to my lord’s castle whose identity will be revealed to you once we arrive. We are to bring you by force if necessary using whatever means necessary. It is because you posses what is most precious. We are only not to kill you and one other person who I can’t say at this moment.”

‘Hm? What is most precious? Not kill me and someone else? What’s going on here…’ Yuuri pondered.

“Tell me, Demon King Yuuri,” The small ninja now revealed as Sai said, “Now that I’ve answered you, does it increase your chances of escape any?”

Damn, Sai got him. But at least Yuuri now knew something.

Seeing that he got to him, Sai was temporarily satisfied. “Thought so.” He turned and continued walking.

“Hey. Hey!” The big ninja, now known as Kane, called out towards Sai. “Hey, why’d you go any say all that for?”

Sai kept walking without another word. Kane rubbed his head. “That kid pisses me off sometimes, never know what he’s gonna do. Oh well, lets get this over with. Move it boy.” He pushed Yuuri again, nearly knocking the double black over.

Yuuri grimaced, his body feeling the effects of the night. He would have said something to Kane about pushing him, but decided to keep walking for now. They were a hallway away from the courtyard, and he figured things couldn’t get much worse if he just went with whatever happened.

Murata stood outside in front of the castle gate, staring at the gorgeous full moon and stars above him that illuminated the night. Along with the moonlight, torches on the castle wall were lit all around the courtyard to provide a comforting lighted setting, but the night would be anything but comforting. Murata worried about the outcome of the night.

He stood with Gwendal and Gunter on either side of him, awaiting word on any news of their intruding visitors. Scouting in the shadows was Yozak, in case he saw something that everybody else missed. Along with Gwendal’s personal guard, soldiers were lined up outside along the castle walls, all ready and poised and on the alert. Kohi flew overhead scouting the area for any unusual figures or Yuuri. There were archers on the castle wall, bow and arrow in hand just in case. Gisela, Greta, and Anissina waited up there with them.

Some soldiers, along with Conrad’s and Wolfram’s personal guard, patrolled the castle looking for Conrad, Wolfram, and Yuuri.

With a cool breeze blowing against him, Murata was calm on the outside, remaining poised as he should for those who looked on to him as the Great Sage. But inside he was filled with anxiety.

Earlier, he had been in Yuuri’s bedroom along with Gisela, waiting for Yuuri and Conrad to return from their walk. He was getting a vibe from Yuuri, as if he was hiding something or something would happen, before they left out the room. He decided he was just being paranoid since Yuuri just woke up and was still felling effects of the long induced coma, and he’d check into it if he still felt something in the morning. Still. Murata couldn’t fully shake the feeling, which has proven in the past to be a sort of indicator.

Yuuri and Conrad had been gone for awhile and Murata was having a conversation with Gisela about why he thought long hair was attractive on women when he got a certain feeling in his chest. It was the same as when Yuuri would do one of his transformations. It made him stop in mid-sentence and glance at the door of the room.

“Hm, is something wrong?” Gisela had asked.

Murata thought. “Yuuri and Conrad have been gone for quite sometime.” Gisela nodded after a second. “Yes, they sure enough have.”

“Perhaps we should go and retrieve our wandering Maou?” Murata suggested.

“Well, it is past time for him to rest.”

They went out of the room and wandered into the hallway. They had not been out for more than ten minutes before they heard their names being called. Turning around, they saw a crying Greta dashing towards them. She hugged Murata and looked to be panic-stricken.

“Greta? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Once she saw Murata, Greta was glad she made it to them like Yuuri said, and started talking too fast for them to keep up.

“Whoa, slow down Greta. Now, what happened?” Gisela asked patiently.

“Its, its Yuuri! He’s in trouble! Conrad and Wolfram too!”

From there, Greta had Gisela and Murata’s full attention as red flags went off in his head and Greta gave them a fast paced version of what happened. Murata took it all in and instantly made a plan in his head, maybe with flaws, but nevertheless something at least.

He told Gisela to wake up her father and inform him of the situation, then have some troops assemble outside along the perimeter of the castle walls and kohi flying about to report anything, hoping to stop or if nothing else at least slow down the progress of the intruders by cutting off any escape routes. He told her to be careful because judging by the sound of things there’s probably more two and they’re probably skilled, dangerous, and still in the castle. Gislea nodded and she took off.

Murata then grabbed Greta’s hand and took off in the direction of Gwendal’s room. Not having time for pleasantries, Murata told the two personal guards to gather Conrad’s and Wolfram’s squad and search for Wolfram, Conrad, and Yuuri. Then he barged in waking up a disgruntled Gwendal who held an uncharacteristically cute teddy bear snuggled comfortingly under his arm. Once he heard what was going on, Gwendal threw the teddy bear to the floor, pulled on a jacket and boots, and along with Murata followed Greta to the room she, Yuuri, Wolfram, Conrad, and the other 2 ninjas were just in.

However once they arrived, no one was present, although it was noted by Gwendal and Murata that the guards were slain.

Without a lead, they all ran outside through a hidden shortcut to meet with the others.

The breeze blew softly against Gwendal’s wrinkled face. Waking up in the middle of the night to hear that his niece had been kidnapped and nearly slain along with his baby brother but was saved by their awaken but now missing Maou was not his ideal of a pleasant way to get up.

Now on edge, he could do nothing but wait and trust the Great Sage’s plan to wait until the intruders tried to escape. By the way the Sage had mobilized the men, he doubt that whoever entered had already made it off castle grounds.

The waiting game was not something Gwendal enjoyed, but could play when necessary. He’d rather be in the castle actively looking for the Maou with the other soldiers instead of doing nothing, yet he could understand that with the great size of the castle he could be looking for hours and still not find anyone.

The soldiers themselves had all been informed of the main part of the situation, that Yuuri had been kidnapped within the castle possibly along with Wolfram and Conrad and that there was a chance they kidnappers haven’t escaped yet. The soldiers all loved and respected Yuuri, Conrad, and Wolfram and upon hearing the news they were all ready to fight to protect their king and higher-ups without question. However, the atmosphere in the air was turning into a tense and anxious one as they followed orders and tried waiting patiently for any sort of news or an appearance from the intruders.

Murata had his arms crossed, tapping his fingers hoping something good would come out of tonight. He knew he had a bad feeling about something happening, and this only served to prove him right.

Walking swiftly and confidently, Sai moved until he turned a corner and saw the entrance to the courtyard on the other end of the hallway. From there he could see people gathered in front of the castle gates. He stopped.

Sai was hoping that they would have made it out of the castle before anyone would have noticed and done something about them being there, yet it seemed that was no longer possible.

Yuuri nearly ran into Sai due to his abrupt halt. “Why are we stopping now?” Yuuri asked.

“Wow, they sure move fast. I didn’t even notice anyone moving about.” Yuuri heard Kane behind him. Confused, Yuuri peered around Sai to see what they were talking about.

He looked and was able to make out the unique figures of Murata, Gwendal, and Gunter in front of the gate. And by them, were a lot more soldiers and they all stood waiting as if expecting Yuuri, Kane, and Sai.

“How did do you think they found out?” Kane asked.

“The Sage.” Sai answered. He knew the Sage was the only one capable of assembling a retrieval party as such. How he knew anything or what he knew, Sai couldn’t say for sure, but then again the Sage was full of insight, and was not to be underestimated.

Yuuri said nor did nothing, but secretly cheered on the inside. Nearly depleted of power and exhausted to the point where all his focus was strained towards remaining calm and conscious, he was out of ideas at the moment. The farthest he had gotten was to just cooperate so Wolfram and Conrad wouldn’t get hurt. And using anymore power would put a near unbearable strain on his body at the moment and would leave him weak and pretty much useless afterwards, which more or less probably wouldn’t be good.

Kane scratched his head, much like Yuuri did when looking for an excuse. “Well, I guess we turn around and head out a different way since we’re short on time, right?”

“Wrong.” Came another deep voice.

Not recognizing the voice, Yuuri turned around to find not one, not two, but five more ninja appearing from out of the shadows behind them. The ranged in different sizes and shapes. Even so, the biggest and the smallest ones were the ones who abducted Yuuri, Kane with his height and build and Sai with his short, slim figure.

Kane turned and faced the ninja that had spoken. He gave him a quick, hateful glance over. “Wrong, what do you mean wrong?”

“Are you dumb as well as deaf?” The speaking ninja sneered. “I said ‘wrong’, which means we can’t do that, which means something came up, which means we need a new plan. Why is it I need to break it down for you when everyone else understands with a simple word if that?”

Kane narrowed is eyes. “Watch it smartass, I’ll cut those smart lips right from that stupid looking face of yours if you keep talking.” His eyes boring into the ninja’s that spoke. Yuuri felt as though the tension was thick enough to choke him. Judging by the way this ninja talked to Kane and the way Sai talked to him earlier, either Kane was not a favorite within the group or the entire group was just cold towards each other.

“Enough.” Sai demanded.

Immediately, the other six straightened up. The stare down ended, more or less, and all attention went towards Sai. “What’s hindered our escape.”

“Well commander…” this time a different ninja spoke, one of the taller ones that Yuuri noticed had long blond hair hanging from behind his mask. “It seems that the entire castle is surrounded. The soldiers extend from here in the front all the way around to the rear then back to the front again, and it seems they pulled every available man as their numbers are great enough that we’ll have to fight through instead of a simple kill-and-go.”

‘Wait, commander?’ Yuuri turned back and stared at Sai, the shortest one, maybe just a inch taller than Wolfram and a inch shorter than Yuuri. ‘He’s the commander?’

“Seems fitting. He has the mannerisms and the presence of one, along with the dangerous aura that surrounds him.” The Maou stated within Yuuri.

“At any rate sir, it will be a small battle for us to leave with the Maou. Not saying that it’d be a problem, just bothersome. The main heads are out in front of us. Only common soldiers remain in the back, which would save us the trouble of dealing with the more troublesome ones outside.”

“What are you suggesting Lyel? Could you actually be suggesting that we, the deadliest seven, could not handle those weaklings outside?” The ninja that had argued with Kane asked.

“No, I’m simply stating that it would be more beneficial to exit out the rear, as the more powerful ones are out here in the front. While I myself do enjoy a good fight, I am just thinking of the mission at the moment.” Lyel replied.

“We shall continue forward.” Sai cut in. “No matter what direction, if the numbers are as you say then the commotion will attract attention from everyone else and we would have wasted time moving in a different direction for nothing. And I am in no mood to stay within this castle any longer.”

And with that, Sai grabbed Yuuri by the shoulder and ushered him forward. Seeing as he had no choice, Yuuri complied. With his decision, Kane, Lyel, and the other four unknown ninjas followed their commander and hostage out to face everyone from the castle.

Murata was starting to believe in his doubts about his course of action and was trying to come up with a plan B, when he spotted a group entering the courtyard from the main hallway. At the head of the group he saw Yuuri. He couldn’t make out the other people behind him, except for their matching attire.

Along with Murata everybody else spotted the group of eight moving bravely and boldly into the middle of the courtyard. Gwendal snapped his fingers and instantly all of the soldiers surrounded the ninjas and their king.

Yuuri felt his heart leap at the sigh, mostly because he was just surprised at the sight. He was amazed at the sheer number of soldiers, they nearly filled the giant courtyard. Even though he wanted to go with the ninjas peacefully so no one would get hurt on his behalf, he couldn’t help but feel glad that apparently no one listened, probably meaning his hot headed fiancé. Speaking of which, Yuuri didn’t see Wolfram nor Conrad among the crowd. He would have thought that they would have met up with the others by now. Only Murata, Gwendal, and Gunter were facing them.

The ninjas only stopped a couple of feet away from Murata and looked around at the soldiers surrounding them indifferently, as if the soldiers were only a tourist attraction for them to pass by.

The ninja that argued with the long blond haired Lyel a few moments ago whistled. “Whew, sure are a lot of them. I’d love to see the look on each and every one of their faces as I cut them down.”

“So barbic. All you can think about is slaughtering people like a beast, when clearly there is an art and grace to it.” This came from one of the ninja’s Yuuri hadn’t heard yet.

“Watch it pretty boy, wouldn’t wanna get you all dirty while I’m doing a job that requires getting dirty.” The boastful ninja replied mockingly.

“Don’t be jealous just because my skill has more grace and tact and is more beautiful than anything your feeble mind could ever fathom.” Pretty boy ninja retorted.

“What did you say?!”

“Knock it off you two. This is not the time or place for that.” Now a female voice intervened. Yuuri turned around towards the ninja, and in glancing around the chest area, he could see that it was in fact a female, but in her outfit she’s hardly recognizable. He’d never known there was a female fatal among group had she not spoken.

“Shut it wetch. Nobody asked for your input.”

In a flash the female grabbed her sword. “What did you call me?” Her tone more than threatening.

Gunter observed the behavior of the group. Out of his normal loud, dramatic, Yuuri-obsessed character, he was quiet, observational, and into a battlefield tactical mode. He noticed which ninjas he seemed to get the most threatening vibe from. Within his battle experience, he could tell they were all dangerous in their own right, but he got the most lethal vibe from the shortest one. “Not one of them seem the slightest bit unsure of their situation.” He said out loud.

Murata nodded. “Indeed. I had thought that maybe there were more than this, but if only seven then they must be truly capable. At any rate, at least we know Shibuya is fine. However I don’t know anything about Sir Weller or von Bielefeld.”

Gwendal watched as part of the ninja group seem to bicker and act completely oblivious to the fact that they were surrounded by nearly a hundred soldiers along with him, Gunter, and the Great Sage for kidnapping their Maou, a crime that had a punishment that justified execution. He felt as though their lack of seriousness for the situation disrespected him even more than entering his castle in the first place.

His fist clenched and his jaw tightened as another wrinkle appeared on his forehead. He stared down the group.

“Is that a threat then?” The so-called barbaric ninja accused. The pretty boy ninja laughed.

The female ninja shook her head. “No, it’s a promise. Watch your tone, or I’ll cut off your permanent sword and shove it down your throat to shut you up.”

The barbaric ninja took his sword out and swung it in the blink of an eye, but was blocked by another ninja, the only one not to have said anything yet.

“Move it Yama! I’ll teach her a lesson in etiquette the hard way.”

Yama said nothing.

“Adrian. Heather. Brookstone. Enough.” Sai commanded. The three shut up as Sai glared at those in front of them. He hated hindrances. “Let us pass.” He demanded.

Feeling he was the one being addressed, Murata smiled and answered. “Sorry, we would, but it seems that you have our King hostage at the moment. I really don’t want the blame to be placed on me for letting you go by and getting your way. What do you say you let him go?”

“No.” came Sai’s simple answer.

“Aw come on. It would really be less of a hassle if you just returned him to us.”

No answer.

Already impatient and feeling disrespected, Gwendal grabbed his sword and began to draw it, but in a flash, Sai drew his sword and had it at Yuuri’s neck before Gwendal fully got his sword from its sheath.

Gwendal, Murata, and Gunter, as well as the rest of the soldiers were slightly taken aback by the speed Sai displayed. As much as he hated it, Gwendal couldn’t risk the chance that Yuuri would get killed. He slid his sword back into its sheath with trembling fingers, barely able to contain his rage.

“Let us pass.” The demand came again.

Murata had stopped smiling and was trying to think of what to do.

He couldn’t let them pass with Yuuri, it was nearly out of the question. However if he didn’t then they could bring kill Yuuri right then and there. He doubt that they came all this way just to kill Yuuri in front of them, yet he couldn’t take that chance. For all he knew at the moment they could just be planning to kill him in the forest later in a place no one would find him.

“We can’t let them harm Heika.” Gunter stated.

“I know.” Murata said.

“However if we attack, they could kill him before we even got the chance to do anything.” Gwendal stated.

“I know.”

“It’s on you Great Sage.”

With all the pressure, Murata was hoping that maybe Shinou would decide to make an appearance out of nowhere and take care of this, but he knew better than that. One thing’s for sure, they couldn’t allow Yuuri to be hurt, as Murata could tell he was already past his limit. At the moment, he only saw one choice.

Even though it was more or less what he wanted in order for no one else to get hurt, Yuuri felt his heart drop when he saw Murata move out of the way to the side. “Here’s your path.” He heard Murata say.

“Hmph. Not so much as a small attempt. Weaklings.” Yuuri heard who he assumed was Brookstone mutter.

Even though it was the logical choice for the situation they were in, Gunter hated himself as he and Gwendal moved out of the way and ordered for the gate to be opened leading into the town.

Sai prodded Yuuri in the back with his sword, urging him to move forward. Dejectedly, Yuuri slowly began to walk towards the gate. He looked around to everyone giving him looks from hopelessness to confusion to shock. They couldn’t understand what the ninjas had done to their King as to why he didn’t use his powers to break free and why the Great Sage decided to let the seven intruders leave with their Maou when they clearly outnumbered them.

The ninjas began moving towards the gate, more or less content that things went smoothly.

Suddenly there was a cry from above them.

“YUUUURRRIII!!!!”

Everyone, including the ninjas, looked up to see Wolfram, Conrad, and a few of their personal men riding the Kohi and coming in fast towards Sai and his ninjas.

“YUUURRRIIII!!!” Wolfram yelled. Seeing Wolfram put a smile on Yuuri’s face before he even realized it. Never had he thought he’d be so relieved to hear his name from his favorite blond.

At the same time, while everyone’s attention was momentarily on the rescue party in the air, a certain orange-haired soldier seized the opportunity.

While each ninja had their head turned and their guards dropped for a few fleeting seconds, Yozak quickly sprinted from behind one of the soldiers that surrounded Sai’s group, snatched up the double black and kept running. “Thank you!!” He shouted behind him.

In the split-second it took for the ninjas to understand just what happened, Conrad, Wolfram, and their men dropped from the Kohi and with swords drawn landed on the ninjas. Wolfram came down on Lyel and clashed swords while Conrad came down on Brookstone. The others landed and distracted the ninja’s long enough for Yozak to gain some distance.

It was all timed perfectly.

Everything was happening too fast for Yuuri at the moment. At one point he was looking at Wolfram swarming down on him on Kohi, and the next thing he had the wind knocked out of him as he felt himself get tackled and carried.

“Yozak…” He managed to get out.

“At your service Heika.” Yozak smiled and thought it couldn’t have gone off better.

“…behind you.” Yuuri struggled to say.

Before Yozak could confidently make it to the safety of being back behind the soldiers, he looked behind him and barely just managed to dodge an attack from Kane, the biggest one.

He drew his sword and one handedly attempted to block another fast oncoming strike. The clash of the swords and from Kane’s brute strength sent what felt like shockwaves down Yozak’s arm and throughout out his body, bringing him to his knees and momentarily stunning and paralyzing him, making him unable to move from the next attack.

Right when Yozak thought it was over as Kane’s sworn swung down on him, another sword came to stop the death blow nearly two inches from the top of Yozak’s head.

Gunter had rushed over as soon as he saw the Kane break away from the group in order to fight off the ninja and give Yozak some leverage. He was standing beside Kane with his sword underneath Kane’s, trying to hold back the attack. Yuuri felt dizzy to the point he thought he might be sick, being swung around like a doll.

“Yozak! Go! Take Heika to a safe place. I’ll deal with him!” Gunter ordered.

Yozak nodded and forced the numbness away from his legs so he could carry Yuuri and run. “Be careful, he’s fast and extremely strong.” He warned Gunter.

Gunter knocked Kane out of the way and turned to face him, his back to Yozak. “I’ll be fine. Go!”

Yozak needed no more incentive as he took off behind the soldiers, Yuuri over his shoulder.

Witnessing Yozak make it behind the safety of their troops, Gwendal drew his sword and ordered the attack on the ninjas. Battle cries let out that could be heard over the farthest part of Shin Makoku as the troops charged. Gwendal charged into the action also as he needed to relieve some pent up stress.

With everyone attacking, Wolfram parried and dodged Lyel’s next attack, then took off into the crowd of incoming soldiers. He lost the ninja in the swarm then made his way over towards Yuuri and Yozak, who ran to meet with the Sage.

Just when Yuuri thought nothing would stop moving and he’d never catch his breath, he felt himself still and lying down. When his dizziness went away and he could see straight, he looked up at Murata and Yozak who looked down smiling on him.

“Ah Shibuya, glad you made it to us.”

“Are you okay Heika?”

Yuuri sat up slowly. His ears rang from the cries of the men his head was pounding and he was tempted to give in to the desire to just faint and rest for awhile, but he heard one voice that stood out.

“YUURI!”

The next thing he knew, Yuuri felt himself being smothered by the weight of Wolfram on top of him, straddling and hugging him.

“Yuuri! Are you alright? What did they do to you?! Say something wimp!”

Somewhere along the way Wolfram went from hugging Yuuri to shaking him and asking him a bunch of questions and demanding answers.

“Ah, I believe he needs a moment to get himself together Wolfram.” Yozak interjected.

Wolfram stopped shaking Yuuri and stared him dead in his eyes as Yuuri struggled to see straight again after being shaken back into dizziness.

“I’m glad you came back for me.” Yuuri finally said after a few moments.

Wolfram blushed slightly before responding. “Of course I came for you! I’d come for you a thousand times over! Yuuri what were you thinking, trying to make me stand down? Don’t you ever pull that stunt again! Do you hear me?!”

Now back in his senses, Yuuri lost all sense of everything else going on around him momentarily as he gazed into those deep emerald eyes he loved so much, something he would never get tired of looking into. He gave a half smile.

“Yes I hear you Wolfram.” That was all he said.

Instantly, both boys felt that comforting warmth in their chest that reminded them of the other, their connection heightening what they felt at the moment and making them blush brightly, feeling the relief they both had from knowing that the other was alright. Neither one needed to say anything.

Yozak and Murata both looked at each other with a slick grin plastered on their face for a second or two before becoming serious again. Murata intentionally coughed loud enough to gain the attention of the boys.

“Shibuya, Wolfram, as much as I’d like to stay and watch you two in your moment, this isn’t necessary the time or place for it.”

Yuuri and Wolfram both embarrassed, they got up off the ground and dusted themselves off.

“Since he’s okay, I’m going to go check in on the fight.” Yozak said to Murata’s nod.

With Yozak running off into the crowd, Murata, Yuuri and Wolfram looked ahead to see how everyone was doing.

Things definitely could have been better.

In only a few minutes, the ninjas had obviously proven themselves capable of fighting and skilled beyond the common soldier as the men of Blood Pledge Castle were getting laid out and killed.

It was a crowded battle as soldiers were trying to get a hit in from any and every angle only to either have someone else get in their way or have their attacked blocked and becoming hurt themselves. The archers were not authorized to help yet because of the high risk of killing more of their comrades than hitting the ninjas.

Gwendal recognized this, having to stay on his toes to avoid getting sliced between men. He saw Gunter struggling with the biggest one and Conrad fighting with another one. The other ones were simply enjoying annihilating his troops, his men dropping faster than he could count and crying out from the blades cutting and piercing through them. It was not a pretty scene.

Seeing where this was going and not wanting to lose anymore men in the slaughter, he called for the troops to pull back and for Conrad and Gunter to join where he was standing. After a few moments the troops pulled back to the wall and everyone had more room to fight their opponent.

Apparently Conrad and Gunter either didn’t hear him or couldn’t get away from their fight to join him.

“Come on! Attack me already! All you’ve been doing is running away, and that’s no fun. I fought you because I thought you were strong. I see that was mistake! Yah!” Adrian attacked.

Gwendal could barely dodge most of the attacks coming from the flamboyant sounding ninja facing him. He couldn’t understand how they could all be so fast. Whoever they are, these guys were definitely trained for tactical or direct assassination, no doubt about it.

CLASH! Gunter blocked another strike and swerved to try and strike from behind in a quick flash step, but again the ninja was too quick and move out of the way only to bounce back and lunge back at Gunter, who jumped to the side and rolled away, quickly getting back up into his stance. Finally gaining some room to move, it still wasn’t any easier to fight.

Sweat ran free from his forehead and his breaths were harsh and tired. Even though he was one of the best swordsman in Shin Makoku, Gunter knew this man was definitely giving him a run for his money. He heard Gwendal call him to try and gather a quick plan, but he couldn’t escape this guy to make it over to him, and this battle was definitely taking its toll on him. The man was too strong to block every attack, so Gunter mainly had to use his own speed and reflexes to move out of the way. It was working for now, but how long could he keep it up?

Conrad kept his eyes trained on his opponent. The red eyes he saw looking at him contained an unquenchable bloodlust and pure excitement from the battle. Conrad watched and studied every subtle move made and refused to make even the smallest misstep, for even the ninja he was facing now was fast and strong like the other one from back in the room.

Brookstone was beaming, having the opportunity to fight Conrad Weller, the famed and skillful swordsman of Shin Makoku. And apparently his reputation did this man justice, as he proved to be able to adapt in battle quite capably. But the man was slow, yet he made up for it with skill and observation. He watched every move and predicted his patterns in order to block his strikes accordingly. Oh yes, Brookstone was definitely enjoying toying with Conrad.

Gwendal was grateful that once the troops started pulling back, the other ninja didn’t continue after them, however another dangerous situation soon arose.

Sai honestly didn’t care how many came after him, he’d just cut them down again and again until they learned how pathetic they really were.

Once he saw them retreat, he scanned the courtyard for Yuuri. Somehow they managed to create a plan a grab Yuuri right from under him, right when it appeared they were about to leave. It was his mistake that Yuuri slipped away and it was time to correct that.

“Senka!” he yelled, summoning his ninjas.

At once, all six of his ninjas pulled back from their battles and reported back to Sai. Kane stood beside Sai while the other five formed a wall in front of them. Brookstone, the boastful battle-loving one in the middle, the flamboyant Adrian and the deadly Heather on either side of him, with the logical Lyel and the calm, quiet Yama taking the ends.

Taking the opportunity while present, Conrad and Gunter ran to join Gwendal in the middle of the courtyard along with Yozak , facing the group. Although out of breath for the moment, Gwendal was far from down and out. Not know what was going to happen next, he called to the soldiers.

“Surround Heika! Protect the Maou and the Great Sage!!”

The soldiers moved instantly, now very aware of the skills their opponents possessed and on guard. Murata, Yuuri, and Wolfram were surrounded by their men, all with weapons ready and poised. Gwendal kept his guard while trying to catch his breath, Conrad and Gunter doing the same.

“So… any ideas commander?” Yozak asked. Conrad shook his head. “They are all exceptionally skilled and seem to be able to fight without flaw.”

“And they’re also pretty strong despite their appearances.” Gunter commented.

Gwendal nodded. “Which is why I had the troops pull back, they aren’t skilled enough to take them down. Gunter, do you know anything about them?”

“No. I tried finding any identifying mark on their clothes. They’re as blank as fresh paper.”

Yozak shook his head with a sarcastic smile. “So we’re fighting against a group of seven fast, strong, agile ninjas whom we haven’t the slightest clue where they’re from or anything else about them except for the fact that they want His Majesty.”

Conrad nodded, noting Yozak’s tone.

“Well, I guess we just fight hard and protect the kiddo for as long as we can without getting ourselves killed in at least a five-on-four huh?”

“It seems so.” Gunter said solemnly.

Conrad thought for a minute. Even though they were able to defend, no way were they able to defend and attack effectively, especially while in a mismatched fight.

He looked at Yozak, then at Gunter and Gwendal. Suddenly a thought occurred to him.

Yozak noticed this. “Something you want to share?”

“It might not be much, but I think I have an idea.”

Murata, Yuuri, and Wolfram watched the stare down of the ninjas and their small group. Neither one made a move. It reminded Yuuri of the old cowboy westerns he remembered on T.V at home.

“This doesn’t look good.” The Sage said, mainly to himself.

Wolfram turned Yuuri and Murata. “I’m going.” It caught Yuuri off guard. He didn’t think about Wolfram fighting. “But Wolf its-”

“No.” Murata said flatly.

Wolfram’s eyes narrowed slightly at the two. “What do you mean no?”

“It’s too much of a risk to allow you to go.”

“And what the hell does that mean?!”

Murata stared directly in Wolfram’s eyes. “It’s too much of a risk. For one, all four of the men out there have more military, fighting, and instinctual battle strategy experience than you. And like in the room, you let your pride get in the way of your rational thinking due to petty taunts which could prove fatal. Also, even if they tried, Sir Weller and Sir von Voltaire would not be able to ignore the fact that you are their baby brother and would be too concerned about your safety to concentrate fully.”

Wolfram was flustered. “How dare you-”

“Think von Bielefeld,” Murata now had a warning, scolding tone, “if you were to go out there, would you act accordingly to how the fight plays out, or would you rush the one that attacked you because of the incident in the room.”

Wolfram thought about it and said nothing. However much he hated to admit it, he knew he would have rushed right in and attacked the small ninja that nearly killed him once already.

Seeing the look in Wolfram’s eyes that said he got the point, Murata turned back to peering between the soldiers at the showdown in the center of the courtyard. “Besides,” he said, “with all of them out there, who else is left to protect Shibuya?”

Wolfram looked at Yuuri, who suddenly felt the urge to look away like a shy schoolgirl. But Yuuri fought the urge.

Yuuri grabbed Wolfram’s hand and instantly he felt warm, that same comforting warm from earlier. Wolfram’s mouth opened slightly. “I do need you Wolfram. I’ll always need you. I don’t want you to go and get hurt.”

And with that, Wolfram decided that for once the Sage was right, and he was right by Yuuri side to protect him, right where he needed to be. If they were in a lighter situation at the moment, Wolfram would have said what he had been truly wanting to say for the longest time, but too afraid to say for fear of rejection. But under the circumstances, he settled for a nod with a soft smile and a few words. “I’ll stay Yuuri.”

Murata could feel the intimacy the boys radiated at the moment.

Before they turned their attention back to the problem at hand, Yuuri and Wolfram gazed at each other for a few long seconds. To themselves they each made a silent vow to do whatever it took to protect the other, for they were the most precious thing to each other.

And with that, they had a new determination set on their faces as they braced themselves for whatever happened next.

Sai stood quietly, seemingly contemplating something as he observed everyone’s behavior.

Opposing Sai and his group were another little group. Conrad stood poised and ready along with Gunter, Gwendal,a few other soldiers, and another man that he detested greatly… Yozak Gurrier. To Sai, it was no surprise that Yozak was the one coordinated with Conrad in order to rescue the Maou.

Ignoring that fact, Sai looked past them and scanned along the soldiers, spotting Yuuri way in the back of the crowd, nearly pushed up against the gate. It was time to make a move.

“I am in no mood for interruptions. We should have been on our way already.” He stated.

Even though they didn’t say anything, Sai had been with his group long enough to be able to know what each thought and how they reacted without even having to see their faces. He received a silent affirmative from the ninjas.

Yozak gripped his sword even tighter. “It looks like they ready to make a move.” He said.

“Stay on your guard.” Gunter warned.

Yozak smiled. “Don’t think we have a choice.”

Ready to get a move on, Sai looked at his ninjas. “You know what to do.”

No answer.

“Go!”

Instantly the five ninjas that made the wall, Yama, Adrian, Brookstone, Heather, and Lyel, all sped forward towards Conrad, Yozak, Gunter, and Gwendal, and Gwendal’s personal guard.

“Now!”

Gunter, Conrad, and Yozak all sprinted forward ready to clash head on with the group. Right before they met nearly a foot away from each other, Gwendal and his men chanted the necessary words and used their earth elemental powers to create a cage cell made of solid dirt and stone surrounding each individual approaching ninja.

The only one who wasn’t caught in the trap was Yama, who felt the tremor coming and dodged right out of the way as cage came up. Gwendal clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. “Damn, missed one.”

Yama bolted forward and met head on to clash swords with Gunter, who was already prepared for duel. Conrad and Yozak had bolted past to meet with Sai and Kane.

“Sorry sir, thought I had him!” one of Gwendal’s men announced.

“Never mind that, Gunter’s handling it. Let’s finish this.” Gwendal shot back. The trapped ninjas didn’t seem to be very concerned about getting caught; they just stood there as if waiting to see what’s next.

This time the dirt underneath each cage started to dissolve away, making the cage sink into the ground.

The ninja’s and the cages sank into the ground until the top of the cage was level with the ground. Then a small opening was left in the center of the cage ceiling.

“Now!!” Gwendal shouted behind him.

Right then, member’s from Wolfram’s guard did their chant and hurled small blazing hot fireballs of exceeding temperature through the air and precisely into the small opening of each cage, before the guard snapped their fingers and made the fireballs explode within the cage in a blazing hot explosion of fury. Gwendal felt the heat from 15ft. away where he was standing.

Satisfied when he didn’t see anyone come up after a minute, Gwendal sent his men to charge at Yama and assist Gunter while he sprinted towards Conrad’s and Yozak’s battle with Kane and Sai.

Kane was basically dancing his way around Yozak. He would strike and let Yozak recover from the impact before striking again. Right now the orange-haired warrior had little cuts all over him. His breathing was harsh and his arms were beginning to feel like jelly from the force of clashing swords. He wasn’t going to give up, but he was definitely struggling to keep up.

CLANG! CLASH! Another deflection against Kane and his sword. Yozak dodged, ducked from another strike fast strike, but wasn’t able to dodge the left hook that connected and was sure to create a nice black-eye over the next few days. It knocked him back onto the ground hard.

Kane tower over him. “Well, I would like to stay and play, but the kid says we’ve already done enough of that so…” Kane raised his sword, and right before he was about to decapitate Yozak, he saw the glint of Gwendal’s sword coming towards his head, and dodged out of the way just in time.

Yozak thought it was a lucky night for him as he was saved from this same ninja twice. Gwendal was a lot stronger and along with Yozak, they would be able to give Kane some competition, for awhile at least.

Meanwhile, Sai and Conrad clashed swords ferociously, both swinging with tact and precision. Sai was definitely faster than Conrad, but Conrad made up for it with his gut and battle instincts and agility, moving around fluidly. However, every time he would attempt to strike, it was like Sai knew exactly what he was going to do before he did anything.

Conrad parried another attack, then rushed in for a counter, only to be blocked and cross swords with Sai. They broke apart and stood facing each other. “After all this time, your moves that made you famous are still the same.” Sai stated.

Conrad was confused. “What do you mean?”

Sai didn’t answer him, but instead looked past him towards Yuuri. “Time to leave. Senka!” He shouted.

The ground beneath the soldiers and Yuuri, Wolfram, and Murata began to tremble. Then right in the middle of the crowd, the four ninjas that were supposedly burnt alive jumped from beneath the ground and pushed back everyone that surrounded them. Beside dirt, they didn’t have the slightest markings on them.

The soldiers that surrounded Yuuri had been knocked away, and now they had a clear path to Yuuri and were far enough away from Conrad and the others for them to intercept.

Conrad dropped his guard long enough to turn around and realize how much danger they were in right now. “Yuuri!” he shouted, but he instantly had to turn back around to fight off Sai, who kept attacking him long enough to keep him busy. Kane fought Gwendal and Yozak also and refused to let them help. Gunter couldn’t get away either was the closet, but even with the help of Gwendal’s men Yama still held him hard pressed. It was as if Sai, Kane, and Yama turned on a switch that allowed them to move with dangerous demon-like speed.

Brookstone was closest to Yuuri, only about 8ft away, and was about to advance on him before a blond Mazoku with a sword came swinging at him.

Determined not to lose, Wolfram fought with every ounce of strength and agility within him. Brookstone was slightly caught off guard by the sudden attack, but recovered quickly. He pushed Wolfram back and was beginning to give Wolfram more trouble than could handle.

Recovering from the sudden impact, soldiers got up and rushed upon the attackers, only to have Lyel and Adrian fight them off and knock them back.

“Definitely not good.” Murata said.

Yuuri knew this was trouble, and he saw the trouble Wolfram was in at the moment. The ninja he was fighting was too fast for him to keep up and it seemed Wolfram was starting to struggle.

In a quick rush of adrenaline, Yuuri grabbed a sword from a fallen soldier and charged. Murata tried to grab him but missed. “Wait! No Shibuya!!”

Wolfram jumped out of the way from another attack but had his sword knocked away in an attempt to block the next one. Brookstone grinned at his chance and swung at Wolfram. It would have been a direct and fatal hit had he been able to complete it, but instead he ended up getting knocked to the ground.

Gathering whatever strength he had, Yuuri had tackled the ninja to the ground. It was a good burst of energy, but it didn’t last nearly long enough. After the hit, Yuuri was on the ground, trying to get up but his body not complying. The Maou inside of him was trying to tell him something, warning him, but Yuuri ignored it trying to get back up.

Suddenly he felt weight on his back pushing him back down onto the ground. Heather stepped on the double black and held him down.

“Get off him dammit!!!” Wolfram shouted. He headed straight for Heather when Brookstone blocked his path, grinning evilly behind his mask, red eyes shining of excitement and bloodlust. “Time to end this!”

Yuuri turned up to see Wolfram unarmed and Brookstone holding his sword.

The next thing he knew was a sharp pain going throughout his body and an ear-splitting screech of agony as the pool of blood collected on the ground…

Chapter 10 is complete, thanks for reading! My first big action chapter and I thoroughly enjoyed writing it whenever I got the chance. Already working on the next one.

Read and review! Next chapter to come soon! Suggestions welcomed. Til next time!

~Kriter~
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Determination