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The Next Time We Meet	By : HauntedReality Category: +G to L > Kyou Kara Maou Views: 5710 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Kyou Kara Maou, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-The Next Time We Meet
- 2-Avoidance
- 1
- 2
The Next Time We Meet: Chapter 2 - Avoidance

DISCLAIMER: Kyou Kara Maou is fabulous and beyond my ability
to possess in a legally-binding form.

WARNING: This storyline takes place directly after episode
40, so it is canon up until that point and then anything goes--even now that
I�ve seen 41. Heavy spoilers!

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

Yuuri had wanted to run straight to Konrad�s side after
leaving the dining room. He was even on his way there when something stopped
him.

He was afraid.

Afraid Konrad wouldn�t want him there. Afraid he would only
reject him again. Afraid he would turn those large, chestnut eyes away from him
in disgust when he saw how cowardly he actually was. Perhaps Wolfram was
correct all along. Maybe he was a wimp at heart, because he really didn�t want
to find out how he would handle it if Konrad did any of those things no matter
how unlikely they seemed.

After all, how unlikely was it that he would join the enemy
and take up arms against his country and king? But he had.

Taking a corridor that led him away from the medical ward,
Yuuri walked through the castle without direction. He simply had no desire to
talk to anyone at the moment. But that was not to be.

�DADDY!� screamed a high-pitched voice belonging to a young
girl with tanned skin and curly, brown hair.

Yuuri felt his leg besieged by tiny arms that were much
stronger than they looked. She was practically crushing him, so he bent down to
pull her into an embrace. It felt good to see his adopted daughter even though
he had been seeking solitude only seconds beforehand.

Somehow, her bright smile always pulled him out of whatever
darkness settled upon him even if that was seldom. Except, she wasn�t exactly
smiling.

�Daddy, I was so afraid I wouldn�t see you again. It has
been so long, and the last time I did I wasn�t sure if you were going to be okay!
Everything was burning and those men kept trying to kill you and there were
arrows flying everywhere!� Her words ran together as they spilled out of her in
one emotional burst. Yuuri pulled her closer and placed a calming hand on her
back to soothe the tempest within her troubled spirit.

It was then Yuuri realized just how long it really had been
since he last saw little Greta. In fact, if he wasn�t mistaken the young girl even
looked a little taller. But his thoughts did not linger there as her words
found root in his mind.

She was talking about the day he had been forced back to New
Mazoku by some outside source. Konrad, Gunter, and Greta had come to retrieve
him, but assailants were closer than any of them realized. Gunter was taken out
of the battle early and luckily Greta managed to get to safety, but just as
Yuuri was about to step through a portal to send him back to Earth, he watched
Konrad embroiled in a battle to save his maou.

The chestnut haired man with a permanently affixed smile and
kind eyes fought bravely. He slashed away at the skilled marksmen and swordsmen
who had come to claim Yuuri�s life. He was outnumbered by overwhelming odds,
but he showed no signs of retreating--not when Yuuri�s life was on the line.

Innumerable men in masks and capes seemed to be flying in
their gracefully deadly attacks. Swords reflected in the harsh glow of the fire
that was already destroying the building. Each time someone would attack Yuuri,
Konrad would be there to deflect them. He moved as if possessed--attacking,
dodging, blocking, and never relenting.

Yuuri knew he should jump into the portal that would take
him back to Earth--back to his mother and father, back to school, and back to
his normal life. He knew he would be safe there away from people who wanted him
dead because he was chosen to be the maou. He knew he should go, but he
couldn�t stop watching Konrad fight his enemies.

And then it happened. A lucky swipe of a sword and Konrad�s
arm flew from his shoulder.

It was a sickening display. Yuuri�s heart had frozen
mid-beat, his stomach constricted painfully, and his pulse pounded loudly in
his head as he watched it spin through the air, leaving a bloody trail in its
wake.

Dark eyes watched it fall to the ground with a horrifying
thud. Yuuri was rooted in place. He wanted to run to Konrad--to save the older
man the way he had been saved so many times before. But he couldn�t bring
himself to move. He felt helpless and useless as he watched the valiant man
turn slightly toward him. Pain flickered in his determined eyes as he told
Yuuri he would not die. Konrad�s exact last words before Yuuri was sent
spiraling away from that terrible place rang loudly in his head, �I will not
leave you alone.�

Even after losing a limb, Konrad�s only concern was for
Yuuri. And yet the same man was now laying in a bed with both arms, recovering
from injuries from a different battle entirely--one where his allegiances had
been less certain.

Snapping his attention back to his adopted daughter, Yuuri
ran a hand through her thick curls. �I�m back now. And I am sorry I was gone so
long. I didn�t want to be. But Gwendal told you I was okay, didn�t he?�

�Yes, he even made me a pony so I�d feel better. See?� She
held up the stuffed animal she had been clutching tightly. It looked more like
a raccoon than a pony, but Yuuri only nodded in admiration of the stoic man�s
sewing achievement.

�Will you come with me to the gardens?� she asked brightly
with a childish air she only seemed to possess when she was in Yuuri�s
presence. She was still just a child herself, but her life had not been simple
and carefree as a child�s should be. She had grown up very quickly in a few
short years, and had met Yuuri only once she had convinced herself to become an
assassin to please her family so she could return to them proudly.

The memory of that transgression still haunted her. She
didn�t want anything bad to ever happen to Yuuri which made watching him suffer
even more painful to her large, warm eyes. So she did everything in her power
to lighten his mood when it seemed heavy. And today was no exception.

Yuuri was prepared to acquiesce to her suggestion when he
realized that was a place he was very likely to run into a certain blonde
prince whom he�d rather not see at the moment.

�Why don�t we go to the study instead,� he offered.

Greta arched an eyebrow suspiciously, but nodded her
agreement.

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

Wolfram stood silent vigil outside the door to the medical
room. He wasn�t sure what had drawn him to this part of the castle. He had been
wandering aimlessly, lost in thought, when he noticed the heavy sentry
stationed around this particular door. Normally, there would be no guard for
the medical wing, but there wasn�t normally a traitor in their care either.

The prince with emerald eyes lingered in the hallway,
ignoring the questioning looks from his fellow soldiers. He couldn�t explain
why he was there to himself, so how could he satisfactorily explain his actions
to others?

He debated going through the door. What would he find on the
other side? The older brother who taught him swordplay when he was still a boy?
The half brother he discovered to be only half Mazoku and shunned for the
deception and dirty blood he contained? The man who held his fianc� at sword
point and declared himself no longer faithful to?

Actually, it would be easy if he did find a man fitting only
one of those descriptions. The real problem was that Konrad was all of those
things. Wolfram�s head swam with conflicting thoughts and emotions as he stared
at that door. It was the only thing that separated him from dealing more
closely with all the issues that plagued him. He watched it like it was going
to attack him. So when it slid open it was little wonder he jumped a little--even
if he never would have admitted it.

�Sir von Bielefeld?� asked Gisela with surprise clearly
laden in her voice, but it was soon replaced by a slight smile.

�Gisela,� he responded simply, hoping to avoid any prying
questions. He tried to look casual as though he had only been passing through
the hallway and not standing there, staring at the door.

The jade haired doctor was not fooled, but she had more tact
than to call him on that. �If you run into anyone who asks about his condition
you can tell them he is recovering quickly.� Then turning to walk away, she
added over her shoulder. �He is sleeping now, but he can receive visitors at
any time.�

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

Konrad was asleep, but it was not a peaceful slumber.

Mazokus, even half Mazokus, live long lives. It is
impossible not to acquire a few ghosts in the past given that length of time,
and currently, one in particular was haunting his dreams.

In life, her face had always been a pleasant sight. Somehow
just seeing her long flowing white locks of hair and her pale blue eyes always
filled him with warmth. But in death, seeing her only filled him with the
knowledge that he hadn�t saved her.

He had failed the only person he ever loved.

Yes, he loved Julia. He knew it was forbidden. She had been
promised to Adalbert, but that could not change the way his spirit soared when
he was around her. Konrad had always felt slightly unfit in New Mazoku. He knew
only too well he was a half blood and that there were certain things that were
unseemly for him to do even as the Maou�s son.

Loving a noble woman such as Julia, even if she had been
unattached was certainly one of those things. However, he never felt like less
of a Mazoku or less of a man in her presence. She made him feel complete in a
way he was inexperienced with.

It would have made things easier, or perhaps harder, if she
had hated the arrogant blonde who was promised her hand in marriage, but she
did not. In truth, Konrad couldn�t imagine her hating anyone. That was one of
the many things he admired in her.

And it was one of the key components her soul still carried,
even though it now rested inside the body of a young, dark haired boy.

But there in his dreamscape, Julia came to life once more.
She was just as he remembered her--perfect in every way. Her flawless
complexion, her graceful stance, and her open heart all spoke of the beauty
that was so much a part of her, inside and out. She was so bright in his mind�s
eye that he had to avert his gaze.

But as he did so, he felt gentle fingers cup his chin
gingerly. They tilted his head so that his earth toned eyes would light upon
her unseeing orbs that saw more than anyone. Blindness had never stopped Julia
from living a rich, full life even if it was cut tragically short. She was
never angry or resentful of her lot in life. She accepted the handicap easily
and flourished despite it.

As he stood there in his dream-world with the woman he
adored above all touching him so familiarly, his heart shuddered. He did not
deserve her warm, inviting smile. He did not deserve the happiness her presence
caused him. And above all, he did not deserve her forgiveness for his grievous,
if necessary, actions against his maou.

�Konrad,� she began in a voice that rang with truth and
light.

He wavered beneath her graciousness once more. He sought
escape so that he might wallow in his unforgivable sins, but she would not
grant that silent request.

�You did what the Original King asked of you, Konrad. There
is no shame in that. Your actions may have caused conflict, but they were
designed for a greater purpose. You should not rebuke yourself for obeying his
request. It was to protect Yuuri in the long run,� she explained evenly.

�I hurt him,� he countered simply.

�He will understand if he doesn�t already.�

�How can you know that?�

�Who else could?�

Konrad was silent as he considered the truth in her words. It
was the same debate he had been having with himself since all of this had
begun, but he couldn�t convince himself to accept Yuuri�s forgiveness--Julia�s
forgiveness.

Still, there was someone else who was even more unlikely to
allow his recent actions to go unnoticed--someone who could prevent him from
ever feeling happy and complete in the service of his maou again.

�Even so, how can I forgive myself?�

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

�From the way Gunter talks, this is the last place I thought
I�d find you, Shibuya,� said Murata as he strolled into the study. The walls
were lined with books of all kinds and there were tables and chairs scattered
about free-standing shelves holding even more volumes. Yuuri was sitting at one
such table with Greta nestled comfortably on his lap as he read her a book.
Actually, Greta was doing most of the reading since Yuuri was still learning
the Mazoku written language.

�Were you looking for me?� Yuuri asked suspiciously, nervous
that his mysterious friend might have been asked to search by one of the others.

�Not particularly,� he said casually while leaning with one
leg propped behind him on the wall for support. �I heard I missed out on some
drama at lunch.�

�Who told you that?�

�Yozak.�

�You two have become awfully close,� Yuuri stated in hopes
of changing the direction of their conversation.

�You are avoiding the question.�

�You didn�t ask a question,� he shot back smartly.

Murata could only laugh. �No, I suppose I didn�t, did I?�
His expression became more serious before continuing. �What do you intend to do
about the Konrad situation?�

Yuuri set his jaw firmly and tensely asked, �What �Konrad
situation� are you referring to?� between clenched teeth.

Before continuing, Murata crouched low to look the watchful,
little girl in the eyes. �Greta, would it be alright if I spoke to Yuuri alone
for a little while?�

She looked doubtful, but after looking to Yuuri for approval
and seeing him nod slightly, she agreed. Hoping off his lap, she hurried out of
the room but paused momentarily at the door to give the boy who declared
himself her father one last supportive look before leaving.

�The people have heard rumors and more are starting to
spread every day. Some sort of official declaration will have to be made about
Konrad, and to do that everyone has to know where he stands.�

�No!�

�Yuuri...� he tried to reason but to no avail as the angry,
young maou cut him off.

�I said, NO!� Yuuri yelled hotly, losing the cheerful spark
that usual accompanied his black eyes. �Konrad is not a traitor, and I won�t
treat him like one!�

�Then don�t. That isn�t what I�m asking you to do. I�m just
telling you that for the peace of mind of your subjects as well as Weller�s
safety, you are going to have to make some decisions and then talk about them
publicly. Because if you don�t, someone else will.�

Yuuri turned away from his friend. Murata was the only person
other than Konrad and himself that had lived in both worlds. He understood
Yuuri in a way that others like Gwendal, Gunter, and even Wolfram never could.

And yet, there was so much he did not understand about
Murata. How was he so knowledgeable about his past life, when Yuuri had no idea
he carried the soul of a woman named Julia until Konrad said so? And how was it
that Murata still seemed somehow connected to the Original King while Yuuri was
the maou but always in the dark?

It was not a disadvantage Yuuri enjoyed.

However, the other boy was right about one thing. Yuuri had
some decisions to make about Konrad.

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

A/N: I'm adding to this author's note to confirm that I do intend to ultimately make this a Konrad x Yuuri pairing. Also, if you are reading and enjoying this fic at all please review. It isn't a very big fandom, and this is a rare pairing compared to Yuuri x Wolfram. So, I recognize this piece is unlikely to get a lot of feedback, but it does make the updating process more rewarding to have some kind of ackwoledgement. Also, I realize the plot might seem very thin right now, but I'm hoping to more clearly define it next chapter. Thanks!
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The Next Time We Meet