Dawn

++A/N++
Okay this one is for AliceM, thank you for your kind reviews! Even if you and I are the only ones reading, it still gives me a thrill to know you took as much joy as I did in the Ken/Yuri bitch slap! So this one is totally for you! (I've even thrown a bit of citrus into it for you!) :)

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Night was falling over the land as a lone figure crossed through a castle bailey. His footsteps in shadows, he kept his walk brisk. He intentionally turned his face away from the light sconces on the wall at his side and kept his gaze trained on the uneven shadows that lined the corridor he trod. As he came to a slight depression in the wall beyond a long tapestry he quickly shot a glance to the hall behind him before he pressed the trigger and entered the now exposed doorway.
As he followed the curve of stairs down into the bowels of the forgotten basement he could hear the slight crack and hiss of the tallow candles in the room below. He turned the last step and entered to see a long scarred wooden table and the lone figure seated at its head. He nodded greeting and then addressed the robed figure.

“There still has been no sign of the double black. The consort and the whelp have left he castle for the country, but so far I have no confirmed reports as to which estate exactly they are at. So far the,” he curled his lip in distaste, “dignitary exchange program seems to be progressing without incident. We should have operatives in all of the courts by the end of next week. Once they’re in place we should be able to move within a day of your order.”

The robed figure spoke, “They understand that they are to wait until I give the word. That there is to be no action outside fo that which I sanction.”

“Yes. They comprehend fully.”

“I see. And you are certain that they will all be able to act within so short a time? It is crucial that they are able to coordinate their actions. When the time comes, we will only have a limited window in which we will be able to act. Once the alarm goes out from one we must expect the alarm to be raised by all.”

“Yes. That is understood. Our operatives will be able to move in concert, once the word goes out.”

“They’d better.”

As the man turned to leave the room and head up the steps the figure called out one last time.

“I’m quite sure you understand that it will be your life if they do not.”

As the words rang like a shiver of bone piercing cold through him, he almost slipped on the first stair.

******

As the car pulled to the curb in front of the Shibuya residence three people exited. Murata and Yuri walked up the front path to enter the house while Shori leaned down to the open window and inquired, “Are you sure you don’t want to join us for dinner then Bob?”

“Thank you, no. I have to get back to the airport. I have a meeting in New York tomorrow and a flight to catch.”

“I see. I’m sorry you had to rush out here like this-I know you had other plans that I interrupted, but thanks for coming out.” Shori stumbled over what to say to the demon in front of him.

Bob smiled. “I’ll email you later. Take care of your brother.” With that he signaled the driver to pull away and raised the window after giving Shori one last nod.

“Bob can be really scary sometimes.” Yuri stated to Ken as they entered the house and looked back to see Shori waiting by the side of the car at the street. He turned and shook his head, “Although sometimes, Ken, you can be scary too. I really am sorry about-everything.” Yuri felt a hand fall to his shoulder and looked to his left to see Murata who had drawn up even with him.

“Perhaps I was too stubborn as well. I knew you were struggling. I saw that you had doubts, I just had always assumed that when you were ready you would come to me. It was foolish.” Ken shot a grin to his friend as they heard the front door open with Shori’s entrance.

Shori looked at the two young men standing in the living room. They had been silent as he’d entered, but he could tell that they both still needed to talk with each other. He nodded at them and turned to walk upstairs to his room and leave them in private. He had already done his best for his brother, the rest needed to be decided by Yuri and Murata. He was finally able to admit that in this situation Yuri was only one who could make things right. He loved his brother and wanted for Yuri to be happy, though he struggled with the need to protect his brother he was learning that sometimes life gives you moments of sadness so that you are better able to appreciate the joy it also brings. It made Shori wonder though, since he was learning this now; how much longer would it take Yuri to see the joy in the sorrow?

“Yuri,” Murata began as Shori left their sight at the top of the stairs, “I need to ask, I need to know, have you truly thought this through?”

Yuri turned shocked eyes towards his friend. “How can you ask that?” He wasn’t sure if he felt more shock or disbelief at ken’s question.

Ken walked over to the yellow sofa and sat. Now that this topic was out in the open and Yuri seemed committed to returning to Shin Makoku he was adamant about having this discussion with Yuri. “You heard me. I know how you said you felt in the car, I know you’ve been thinking about how you left and why, I know you said that you’re confused. If I’m going to help I need to know more.” He looked at Yuri who still stood near the door looking down at his feet. “Yuri-“

Yuri let out a sigh. He forced his legs to carry him to the sofa so that he could sit at the other end across from Murata. It felt easier to sit and pretend that they were just going to be discussing the team or a new practice drill or school or something. It was funny he had wanted to be able to speak to someone about his thoughts on leaving Shin Makoku and going back and earlier it held felt good to finally have Bob there to ask and honestly slapping Ken had been a highlight of Yuri’s year, but sitting here now one-on-one with Ken, it made his stomach cramp and his hands clench. He didn’t know where to begin or if he did he didn’t know if he could continue.

Ken thought he knew the look on Yuri’s face. He smiled to himself and decided that he could perhaps be a little generous with Yuri, for now. “Have you thought about the changes that have happened since you’ve been gone?”

Yuri felt his head snap up to stare at Ken, “What do you mean?”

“Changes, Yuri, you left the kingdom without a king. Without any declared ruler to act in your stead actually. There must have been changes that they’d have to have made. I mean have you ever thought or wondered who’s taken over for you since you’ve been gone?” Murata watched as dawning horror washed over Yuri’s face. It started with his eyes and moved over his cheeks and jaw leaving his face suddenly blank and his mouth slack in dread.

“But, I always thought that Gwendel and Gunter-I mean- whenever I left to come back here they all always took care of-Oh God! I think I’m going to-"

Ken had the waste paper basket in front of Yuri before the statement ended, which given the sudden reversal of Yuri’s constitution proved a good thing. As he watched his friend retch and heave Ken shook his head, “You really never thought about it did you Yuri? I never imagined that in all this time it never occurred to you to wonder-“ Murata was genuinely shocked. He knew that Yuri could sometimes get caught up in the little things and miss the larger patterns at first, but Yuri was too good spirited and kind hearted to ever miss them completely forever. After all, Yuri’s ignorance was never intentional or malicious-Ken corrected his thoughts as memory reminded him of a western proverb, ‘The path to ruin is paved with good intentions’. He couldn’t remember where or when he had heard it first, but it did seem that it held some truth.

Yuri had finally stopped his gagging and sat now on the floor, propped between the coffee table and sofa, his forearms braced on the waste basket before him. “I never thought-never imagined.” He looked up into Ken’s eyes, “I always just knew that they would be okay. They’d always been fine without me; I thought my destiny was done there and that they didn’t need me anymore. That they’d be fine without me again.”

“What destiny?”

"Well, Shinou was gone and the four boxes were taken care of, and I’d already shown them how to make peace with the humans, wasn’t that my destiny? I mean wasn’t that why I got flushed down into their world in the first place?” Yuri felt his words drift off.

“Yuri, you’re their king. Yes you had to be born here and grow up in this world so that you could better understand how to help build Shin Makoku into the Great Demon Kingdom again. But, Yuri, they’re still your people; they still need their king.”

“But my destiny-“

“Yuri! Listen to yourself, no don’t do that; you’re obviously not thinking. Listen to me!” Ken moved forward to take Yuri’s shoulder in his hands, he didn’t know if he was going to have to shake the sense into his friend in a few minutes or not, but at this rate it was good to be prepared. “Okay, Yuri, it was the destiny of Julia’s soul to be reborn. It was destiny that that soul had to be reborn here on Earth and grow up learning the ways of this world. It was destiny that that soul was reborn into you. It was destiny that you would be the next demon king of Shin Makoku. How exactly does that make your destiny finished?” Ken waited again for the response he was sure was coming from his friend.

Yuri felt Ken’s words steep into his mind like tea into hot water slowly at first and then faster with dawning comprehension. “But then that would mean, that-“

“Yes. You were destined to be born and grow up here, Yuri, but you were destined to rule Shin Makoku as king of the Great Demon Kingdom.”

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The grass beneath him was soft and lush, a comfortable bed beneath the lazy tree’s canopy. His eyes were closed but he could still see the golds and pinks of color under his eyelids as the sun’s rays bathed him brightly from above. The heat of the days was like a warm cocoon. He could feel the gentle but incessant buzzing of a persistent gnat as it grazed his cheek. He turned his head sharply to drive it away only to feel it softly against his lips. He reached up a hand to brush the pest away and instead encountered a hand.

His eyes flew open at the contact and he met the smiling face of his lover, grinning down mischievously. He had only a moment before the hand was replaced with lips that met his in a kiss that began in sweetness. It was light at first the merest brushing of lips, so soft and gentle that had his eyes still been closed he could have forgiven himself for imagining it. The second kiss was almost a ghost. Fleeting, haunting, tracing lightly over the bow of his upper lip and cresting the fullness of his lower before it was away. He felt slighted by this teasing phantom and raised his head, capturing the mouth above him in a kiss that met his need.

It was a lover’s kiss. Not courtly, not timid. This was a kiss that spoke of passion, sang of hot and melting. It knew the sweetness to be had when like met like, when desire united to that final fury; the chase, the run, the catch, the mutual surrender and the little death. It was a kiss that ignited and also soothed. It roused memories of passion and heat and also quiet contentment and solace.

He gave himself fully to the kiss and felt his lover do the same. Their arms found each other as they lost themselves to the embrace. He turned his body to the side so that he could trail his hands over the body-the bounty beside him now. The firm muscles and smooth as silk skin. The heat of flesh made steel with want. Their clothes melted away and all that was left was touch. The slide of sweat and the glide of mouths the pinch of teeth and scratch of nails. It was a delight to be savored. The breathy gasps and groans of pleasure sought and found. And here beneath the sleepy tree with its dappled light drenched branches the afternoon wore on sheltering the lovers in its bower.

As he curled around the exhausted form of his heart, he gently nuzzled the crook of neck where neck meets shoulder and pressed a loving kiss. He felt his lover shiver in response and smiled contentedly as his head sank down to rest. He gave a quick squeeze and felt himself gently fall into sleep with a final thought, ‘A perfect afternoon.’

Until a sudden weight on his chest and a shrill cry of “Wolfram!” awakened him.