Live to Die

“Doesn’t it seem hypocritical to tell Wolfram to be honest with you but you can’t be honest with him?” Franc inquired evenly as he sat with Yuuri in a session. Yuuri was supposed to be doing paperwork but instead Gunter had set it up so that Franc and Yuuri could have their sessions.


“I know but at the same time I don’t want him to look at me that way.” Yuuri groaned putting his head in his hands. “I don’t want his image of me to change because of this.”


“Has your image of yourself changed?” Franc asked pointedly. His eyes not missing a single expression that went across Yuuri’s face.


“No!” Yuuri exclaimed standing up and slapping his hands on the desk.


“Be honest, Yuuri.” Franc commanded.


“He has a point.” Gunter said as he entered the room, quietly depositing paperwork onto the desk while Yuuri flopped back into his chair, oddly spent after his outburst.


“I know I have changed but I don’t want to.” Yuuri whispered dejectedly. “I want to be who I was before this all happened.”


“We are constantly changing, Yuuri.” Franc explained standing from his seat across from Yuuri. “Who you are now and who you were a second ago are completely different. Nothing stays the same for long and if you do not change with the circumstances you crumple when it matters. Think about.” Franc exited the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.


“He is good.” Yuuri commented thoughtfully.


“Only the best for you, Heika.” Gunter responded ingratiatingly. “Now let’s get started on all the paperwork necessary for running the country day to day.”


“I think there is something I should do though.” Yuuri stood and walked towards the door. As he walked, he smoothed his black uniform in place, placing his hands on his stomach he turned to Gunter. Gunter looked at Yuuri shrewdly before he crossed his arms across his chest.


“Remember that Wolfram is only quick to anger to cover up what he is really feeling. Don’t let his first reaction be the one you judge him by.” Gunter stated wisely.


“It’s the fire elemental in him I suppose.” Yuuri whispered gulping slightly.


“You are learning.” Gunter sighed as he sank into the chair and began doing the paperwork that Yuuri would probably be unable to attend to in the near future.


Yuuri rushed hurriedly to where he knew Wolfram would be training his recruits. Wolfram had just let them on a break when Yuuri found him. Without a thought, Yuuri tossed Wolfram over his shoulder and ran. Those who saw this happen were ecstatic. They thought that the king was finally going to set a date for the wedding. One pair of silver-rimmed black eyes knew differently.


Yuuri carried Wolfram into a side room and placed him on a couch. Turning Yuuri strode to the door, locked it and pressed his back against it. “We need to talk.” Yuuri took a deep breath while Wolfram for once held his peace.


“When I was at home something happened.” Yuuri faltered and stared down at the carpet willing words to appear and help him speak.


“I forgave you for that last night and I don’t want it brought up again.” Wolfram growled testily standing and striding towards Yuuri. “I don’t care about those girls where you are from getting you because from last night forward you are mine. No one will take you away from me.”


“Wolfram I was raped.” Yuuri blurted marching to the window and taking deep breathes. Staring out the window, he could see far into the distance as well as the reflection of a speechless Wolfram. “There is also a possibility that I am pregnant.” Yuuri waited for the normally quick-tempered Wolfram to respond.


“That isn’t funny Yuuri.” Wolfram yelled his fists clenching. “You wanted to know where my boundaries are, well damn it you have reached one. It is never okay to joke about that. It is unforgiveable!” Wolfram stormed from the room leaving Yuuri to slide down the wall to the floor.


Franc had been quietly standing and guarding the doorway to Gunter’s office when he saw Wolfram storm by. The temperature rose at least ten degrees and water evaporated from plants as Wolfram passed. Tactfully Franc knocked on Gunter’s door and stuck his head in.


“I don’t think things went as we had hoped.” Franc commented to the uncharacteristically stoic Gunter.


“Damn!” Gunter stood quickly and strode off to find Yuuri with Franc following close behind.


“I can’t believe he would joke about something so horrible.” Wolfram ranted to his audience of Gwendal, Conrad and Murata. “After last night you would think he would be ready to discuss wedding details or set a date but this!” Wolfram stopped and flopped in a chair in front of Gwendal’s desk.


“Heika should know better than to joke about things as severe as that. Rapists are tortured and killed. I am positive Gunter went over how serious of a crime it was in his lessons.” Conrad stated evenly crossing his arms and sitting in the chair beside Wolfram.


“What would possibly possess him?” Wolfram wondered and then registered the lack of comments from the two in front of him. Murata was staring out the window, his jaw clenched, the sun glaring off his glasses dangerously. Gwendal, on the other hand, was knitting furiously and unabashedly. Gwendal’s gaze was concentrated on his task with a single-minded intensity that went above the fact that he hated for people to see him knit. This action coupled with the lack of wisecrack coming from Murata led Wolfram to one conclusion.


“Who did it?” Conrad demanded his eyes flashing dangerously in a rare display of temper. Gwendal’s needles flew faster and Murata’s mood grew darker.


“He wouldn’t say.” Murata commented to the room at large.


“Oh no I thought he was lying.” Wolfram whispered his emerald eyes widening in horror. “Yuuri!” He screamed running from the room and going in search of his king.


“I am going to assume that the two of you have put out as many feelers for the culprit as possible.” Conrad remarked angrily his hands clenching dangerously.


“What matters at present is Yuuri.” Murata spoke coolly. “His attacker is being taken care of.” Thunderclouds began to gather on the horizon and lightening flashed.


“You will bring them here for execution.” Conrad demanded.


“Where else is closer to hell?” Murata commented off handedly. Gwendal began to knit slower.


“I think that it is time some pasts were discussed.” Gwendal stopped knitting altogether to look at the two men now staring at him. “Wolfram was young when he saw the same thing happen to me. His reaction of outrage is directly from having watched what happened. He and his friends thought rape was a joke until that point but after that night…” Gunter paused. “I will never be able to sire children because of the incident that occurred. Wolfram fears few things but having someone close to him go through that again is one of them.”


“He couldn’t believe what Yuuri said because he thought it was a cruel joke on you.” Murata breathed turning back to the window.


“I had hoped to never have to bring it up.” Gwendal grimaced slowly picking his needles back up.


“Who else knows?” Conrad queried slightly disturbed by the information presented to him.


“Wolfram and you two, no one else was informed.” Gwendal responded grimly. “It was someone I trusted beyond anyone else. I just did not notice. I took up knitting to cope and just pushed my feelings aside.”


“I think maybe you should talk to Yuuri. It couldn’t hurt anymore than Wolfram did.” Murata ended in a murmur.


“Yuuri open the door.” Gunter demanded his magic spiking wildly as he tried to maintain his temper. It had taken an hour of frantic searching for him and Franc to locate Yuuri. Now in the basement of the castle the two were trying to communicate with the nonresponsive king.


“YUURI!” Wolfram called weakly but stopped when he spotted Franc sitting against one side of the basement hallway and Gunter banging on a door. “Where is he?” Wolfram demanded running forward only to come to a stop


Franc merely pointed too weary to manage a proper salute. Gunter had practically sprinted throughout the castle. Franc had kept up by sheer force of will and was currently paying for it.


“Move!” Wolfram growled at Gunter, who turned dangerously violet eyes on the shorter blonde. Franc recognizing the warning signs picked himself up and ran for all he was worth. He had just turned the corner when he heard Gunter speak.


“Haven’t you done enough?”


Fire erupted from the passage way and Franc hit the ground. The magical energy in the hallway shook the foundations of the castle. The temperature soared out of control. Franc began to scream helplessly as the air began to waver and flicker, as it does in the desert when it is too hot. Finally, all was still and Franc stopped screaming to hear Yuuri’s voice, cold and commanding.


“I will not have this place destroyed.” Yuuri roared over the feuding duo. The fighting stopped abruptly. “Gunter you may leave, Wolfram go to your room and stay there.” The slamming of a door was the sign of their dismissal. Franc cowered in the hallway as Wolfram ran by angry tears flowing down his face. Gunter appeared a moment later, tossed the barely coherent Franc over his shoulder and continued on his way.


“Morons!” Yuuri growled kicking a sack in his frustration.


“What did that sack ever do to you?” The Maou of old asked raising one blond eyebrow.


“They could have torn this place apart.” Yuuri griped running his hands through his hair and struggling to calm his breathing.


“One person should not be able to break the bonds forged by years of work.” Yuuri continued pacing.


“Love makes people do crazy things.” Shino, the old Maou said calmly walking among the shadows.


“Who said I was talking about love.” Yuuri questioned irritably. Shino merely raised an eyebrow. “Fine, yes it does. It leads people to rape, kill and enslave each other.” Yuuri commented morbidly.


“That’s not love, that’s obsession.” Shino pointed out his eyes narrowing on his successor.


“They are all on the same coin.” Yuuri waved off darkly.


“No they aren’t even the same currency.” Shino responded forcefully. “Gunter loves you as a king and person, the people are much the same way. Wolfram on the other hand…” Shino waited to see if Yuuri was as intuitive as he thought.


“Loves me because I’m me.” Yuuri stopped pacing and spun to look at the former king. “He has never treated me as anyone but me. Even when I mess up, even when I am right, he always sees me.”


“Why are you still standing here if you finally figured it out?” Shino grumbled sitting on a crate and swinging his foot idly.


“What if he asked me who did it?” Yuuri wondered feeling slightly sick.


“Who, what, why, how and when are only your friends when you have a question. They are not friends in the moments of emotion in life. While you are standing here going over what if you could be losing the most precious thing in you life.” Shino bellowed his magic shimmering in the humidity in the air.


“Thank you.” Yuuri mumbled getting a hold of himself, he ran to have a quick conversation with Gunter before ending his day with Wolfram.


“Sage tell me again why I can’t just fix this.” Shino spoke into the shadows.


“There are greater forces of work here than are readily apparent.” A voice responded stepping out of the shadows, black eyes gleaming as he got closer to the former king.


“Is he pregnant?” Shino asked curiously.


“I can only say that someone is but …” the rest was lost in a kiss as the light faded from the room.


I was going for a cliffhanger but I think it did not quite develop as well as I planned. Oh well review and tell me what you think.