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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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Disclaimer: I do not own Kyo Kara Maoh. I only own the addiction I have to Tetris. I’m officially hooked.

Chapter 8 – Tidal Change

Yuuri did as he was told and closed his eyes. He could feel when the Maou placed his hand on his head. At first there was nothing, but then Yuuri felt a small tingle throughout his body. "This might be somewhat discomforting at first since you're not used to it." he heard the Maou say. As soon as The Maou's last word left his mouth, Yuuri felt as though he had the wind knocked out of him. His chest was tight, his arms and legs felt as though they were sore from a 10 mile jog, he couldn't breathe, and he couldn't move. He tried to open his eyes, but they were glued heavily shut.

This feeling lasted for a few moments before it disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. Yuuri still couldn't open his eyes as he felt himself falling forward. Yuuri expected that he would stop soon enough, but he just kept falling, feeling something like wind hitting against his face. He felt as though he were skydiving with his eyes closed. The last thing he heard were the Maou's words.

"Don't Forget."

Conrad Weller was one of the best soldiers on could ever hope for. He held skill as the best of the best swordsmen in Shin Makoku, he held strength from extensive training and combat, he held a diverse personality that enabled him to be cool and act accordingly with any situation, he held looks and charm that allowed him to appear as handsome as he was skilled, he held knowledge as he was knew the land just as well as he was known throughout the land, he held bravery as the Lion of Lutenburg, and although all of these features are equally important in a person, he held one more thing that made him more potent; one thing that could make, save, or break a entire country.

Conrad held loyalty.

Loyalty was vital and as a soldier, personal bodyguard, advisor, godfather, friend, and family member, Conrad’s loyalty allowed him to be all of those things. He cherished his time with Yuuri every second of everyday they got to be together. To Conrad, Yuuri represented something that hasn’t been in the land since Shinou held the title as king when alive; real inspiration, hope, joy, and originality.

Conrad had watched the effects of the castle since Yuuri had fallen ill. The surrounding atmosphere the day the news became widely known throughout the castle turned grim without a hitch. He stood by and watched the effect Yuuri’s illness had on everyone. Even though things had progressed for the better, nothing was the same.

Greta handled the news the better than anyone expected, although it was hard to watch. Conrad had tried hiding the truth from the young girl, but faltered and could not say ‘no’ to the sweet spot he felt for Greta and her adorable, innocent auburn eyes. In telling her, he could visibly see how he internally crushed some of her innocence through those same eyes. She cried and held onto Conrad for awhile, but eventually made herself to be mature about it. She told Conrad, ‘Even though I don’t like it, Yuuri wouldn’t want me to cry. I have to be strong, for him’. Truly carrying Yuuri’s spirit and true to her way, her words touched Conrad, and he had been there to help support her even more than usual because of it.

Gwendal had left the castle for a few days to personally to search for leads on the poison, something he would have never done before. When he returned, Gwendal seemed to be in a sour mood more than usual, in which describing his mood as a sour mood would have been an understatement. Even though Gwendal is tough and able to hide his thoughts and emotions fruitfully, to those who knew him best Gwendal’s feelings were noticeable through his actions. Even though he was hard on the young king, Gwendal still saw him a as child growing into a young man, cute in many ways, and the thought of someone with the ability to harm Yuuri right under his nose ate at Gwendal on the inside.

Gunter divulged himself in his studies, trying to remember anything or find anything that would help the situation. Most of his day was spent heading up his duties and his free time in the library. Anything regarding poison or a poison combination Gunter wrote down in a list, which eventually became a book. He was sullen and determined, and you could hardly say Yuuri’s name without Gunter breaking down.

Lady Celi and Anissina and most of everybody else took the news the same way along a variation. Some became grief-stricken and depressed, others strong and containing their emotions inside, while others remained neutral, choosing to accept that it happened and pray for the best while continuing with their lives.

As expected, Wolfram was the worst case because of his strong feelings towards Yuuri. For awhile no one could talk any sense into him, then he became obsessive, then depressed, then tried to keep going, but ended up fueling his depression on the inside.

As for Conrad, watching the deviation between how people understood and accepted the news, he fell towards the strong category. Every time he saw Yuuri or thought about it, his heart would cringe and his fist would ball. It hurt him like Gwendal to know that someone was capable of hurting their beloved Maou, and it hurt to know it happened while he was present. But Conrad chose not to escape by knitting and diving into work or caving to emotions.

Conrad was undeniably loyal, and stayed by Yuuri’s side watching over him and Wolfram the entire time. Conrad felt so torn on the inside that he drove himself towards being a 24/7 bodyguard. If he wasn’t there to watch over Yuuri personally, he had strategically placed guards throughout the castle to be able to hold off any situation while alerting him as soon as possible. His trust of everyone else to help take care of his family had been buried under self-guilt and self-implored responsibility. He vowed he would not let any more harm come towards Yuuri or his family anymore.

That’s why after dinner when everyone dispersed to their own headquarters, he headed straight for Yuuri’s bedroom after receiving word that Wolfram had just calmed down from a temper tantrum somewhere in the castle and would be fine after awhile. He had told the guards to keep an eye on him just to make sure he didn’t do anything that was unusual for him.

In the Maou’s bedchamber, Conrad leaned against the wall beside the entrance to the balcony, reminiscing about how everything seemed to be so much more different and sullen whenever Yuuri was temporarily away.

Conrad looked at Yuuri’s sleeping form on the bed. He looked liked boy-Yuuri at the moment and hadn’t done one of his transformations into his Maou form in awhile. Staring at the boy, Conrad observed just how much Yuuri had grown since first arriving. His muscles were more noticeable, his maturity level had increased even if just slightly, he could control his powers more, he understood more about the land and the way things were, he’d grown taller with his hair a bit longer, his eyes twitched more than usual, his…

Wait…

Conrad looked again, and sure enough, Yuuri’s eyes were twitching before blinking open slowly. Still in mild disbelief, Conrad rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand to make sure that his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. When he glanced for a 3^rd time, he found his eyes did not deceive him as Yuuri’s eyes were half-way open in sort of dazed look.

Not able to fully contain the happiness he felt at the moment, Conrad practically ran the few steps from the wall to the side of the bed. “Yuuri…” he whispered softly to the boy, hope filling his voice.

Yuuri felt as though someone hit him in the head full force. His head pounded, everything still looked blurry, his body felt as though it could barely move, and every muscle ached. Despite that, Yuuri forced himself to become more alert to the point where he could at least see clearly. A sudden slump on the side of what he realized was the bed caused Yuuri to wince slightly. He turned to see Conrad leaning on the bed, nearly hovering over him. “Yuuri…”

Yuuri saw in Conrad’s expression that he was worried about him. His soft brown eyes shined against the moonlight, yet they shined of relief and concern. Even though his head was throbbing and he couldn’t quite think efficiently yet, he figured that he must have done something to truly upset the man.

Not wanting to see such a face from Conrad, Yuuri tried to talk and tell him to relax some, but his voice was weak and dry and whatever he tried to say came out in short, raspy words. He needed something for that.

“…Conrad…water…please…”

After too long of a period of routine, helplessness, and no Yuuri, Conrad was only too happy to do whatever his godson needed. With one of his soft smiles that he usually directed mostly towards Yuuri, Conrad nodded and made sure Yuuri was covered by the blankets properly. “Of course Heika.”

Yuuri heard him and tried to tell him, ‘Really, it’s Yuuri for the millionth time’, but all that came out that was understandable was “…Yuuri…”, which was good enough for the young Maou to get his point across. With his smile widening slightly, Conrad nodded again. “Of course, Yuuri.”

Conrad stood up and made his was towards the door, each step seemingly to feel lighter than the last. Right before turning the doorknob, the door opened itself to show Gisela and Murata on the other side, a glass of water in his hand. Murata smiled, “I’d figure it would be around this time.” He glanced behind Conrad towards Yuuri in the bed. “Looks like my timing was pretty good too.”

Conrad stepped aside and allowed them to enter, Gisela giving a quick bow to Conrad before proceeding towards the bed.

Murata walked over to the bed, studying Yuuri before saying anything. To him, Yuuri looked as though he just recovered from a beating like the ones from the bullies that would pick on him on Earth. But there was nothing as far as he could tell that seemed a cause for any concern. Yuuri noticed Murata after a few seconds, wondering why he was just standing there.

Sighing to himself before smiling softly, Murata handed Yuuri the glass of water. “Really Shibuya, you are a handful. You caused quite the panic, you know that?” Yuuri gave a half smile, feeling too exhausted to try for a real one. He tried to raise his hand to take the glass, but ended up struggling in vain as his limbs felt too heavy and sore to lift. Standing by, Gisela noticed Yuuri’s struggling.

Stepping up, she made her presence known, in which Yuuri hadn’t even noticed her.

“Hello there Heika. Might you be feeling sore at the moment?” Glad to see Gisela, Yuuri gave a faint nod. Gisela smiled and removed the covers from Yuuri, giving him a sudden chill from the cool air throughout his body. Murata backed out of the way, and Gisela got to work, running a green glowing hand over Yuuri’s body. “I brought her along just in case. In which I apologize for disturbing you at this time of night Gisela.” Murata said.

“It is no problem, Your Highness. I am just happy to see to see to His Majesty’s well being.”

‘Why does no one call me Yuuri?’ Yuuri thought to himself.

Conrad went towards Murata, hand extended. “I believe His Majesty would like some water now.” Murata nodded and handed Conrad the glass. “Of course. I’d forgotten already.” Moving in between Gisela and Murata, Conrad gladly held the glass to Yuuri’s mouth, tilting it slowly so that Yuuri could sip it slowly without choking.

Gratefully, Yuuri downed the whole glass, his sips turning into gulps. When he was done, Yuuri’s throat felt much better, along with most of his body thanks to Gisela’s healing. Conrad took the glass away and placed it on the nightstand. He then backed away in order to provide Gisela with more room. Murata went and sat down on the bed beside the huge pillows.

Nothing was said for a few more moments while the healer worked. Yuuri felt the achiness and heaviness and fatigue from earlier start to dissipate. After a few minutes, with a satisfied smile, Gisela announced she was through.

“Here you go Heika. You seemed to have experienced the same symptoms as those who just awake from a coma, although I suspect because of your power the effects were a bit greater. You should feel much better now, although still somewhat tired and sore.”

“How about it Shibuya, how are you feeling?”

Yuuri licked the remaining trickling water drops from his lips and sat up, even though it he did it somewhat slowly. His body felt much lighter now, and his head had subsided from its throbbing. “I feel fine, thank you Gisela.” His voice was much clearer.

Gisela gave a small bow. “You’re welcome Your Majesty. You should try not to move too much since your body isn’t adjusted to movement just yet.” Yuuri nodded. “It’s Yuuri, and I feel alright, maybe just alil dizzy.”

“You should be feeling much better than that, considering all the rest you’ve been getting lately.” Murata said teasingly. Yuuri smiled sheepishly, before turning to look around him. His eyes wandered the room as if he was just seeing his bedroom for the first time.

“Hey guys, um, how long was I out of it?”

“A full week.” Conrad answered.

“A full week huh? Wow…”

“Yep, you had us pretty worried. Even so, I’m glad I know you were just taking your sweet time getting up.” Yuuri delivered a sarcastic glance in Murata’s teasing direction.

“Yuuri, do you remember anything?” Conrad asked. As relieved as he was to see his godson conscious and alright, he had to also see if he could find out anything that would help find the people that dared harmed Yuuri in the first place.

“Hmmm…” Yuuri thought about it. He remembered walking to Gwendal’s office.

“I remember going to Gwendal’s office, he had…uh… something for me. I can’t really remember…”

“It was a letter addressed specifically to you.” Murata chimed in. His earlier bantering of his friend side and teasing demeanor disappeared, and was now in his revered Great Sage mode. “Sir von Voltaire had called you to his office in order to give you the letter. He was not authorized to open it because it had a royal seal on it that was, and is currently, unrecognizable. He handed it to you and you read it. Do you remember that Shibuya?”

Yuuri thought hard about it. After being in Gwendal’s office for a bit, his memory was fuzzy. He barely remembered anything about a letter. He felt as though he’d just awaken from a short nap after being worn out. His memories of anything for the past week and some were null and void.

“Sorry, I got nothing. My memories kinda disappear after going into the office. I’m not sure if I remember much about a letter. I just remember walking into Gwendal’s office after someone told me Gwendal had something for me.”

“That would be me.” Conrad moved alil closer to the bed. “Are you sure you don’t remember anything? I came and got you and Wolfram from the gardens remember?”

“No... I just remember walking into the office and… Wait, that’s right!”

Yuuri looked around, searching, stretching his sore neck muscles in the process. “Heika, you must calm down.” Gisela warned.

“What is it Shibuya, did you remember something?”

Yuuri looked all around the room, but in failure. “I’ve been up all this time, and he hasn’t ambushed me. Something’s not right.” Conrad and Gisela stared at Yuuri confused.

“Seeing as you’re waiting for someone to, ‘ambush’ you as you say, I’ll assume you’re talking about von Bielefeld.” Yuuri nodded at Murata’s assumption.

“Yeah, where is he?”

“The guards told me he fell asleep in one other the other bedrooms after relieving some stress.” Conrad answered.

“Stress? Why would Wolfram feel stressed?”

“Since you’ve entered your coma-like state, Wolfram has been constantly worrying about you. For awhile he would not leave your side and became depressed. Then once Gwendal and mother got on him he went back to his duties, but not whole-heartedly as his thoughts were of you.”

“Oh…I see.” Yuuri felt bad that Wolfram had worried over him, but for some reason he knew if it were the other way around, he would feel the same way. “But what do you mean he had to relieve some stress? Did he get that mad at me?”

Murata spoke up then. “I’m afraid I have to take the blame for that one Shibuya.”

“Why?”

“It was a theory of mine that I tried in order to get you to wake up. See, I had intentionally provoked von Bielefeld in order to make him mad, mad enough to so that you would feel it and wake through your connection with him.” Yuuri cocked his head slightly. “Connection..?”

“Yes, connection. Do you not feel connected with Sir von Bielefeld?”

Right then Yuuri became aware of a small feeling inside his chest right where his heart was. He felt something, just could not remember anything about a connection. “I, I don’t know-”

“Yes Yuuri, the connection. Remember the connection.” The Maou spoke up just then. As soon as he spoke, Yuuri’s head flooded with information as he remembered everything from going to Gwendal’s office to passing out to spending time with his Maou-self learning more about himself and his abilities to leaving that plane and waking up to where he was now. His eyes widened a bit because all the information came at such a rush that it made Yuuri dizzy and started to lose his balance sitting up.

Murata caught Yuuri and held him by the shoulder. “Whoa there Shibuya, don’t go back fainting on us again, you just got here. Are you okay?”

“Shall I heal him, Your Highness?” Gisela asked.

“No, I’m alright.” Yuuri answered, having recollected himself.

“It seems you remember everything alright. It took a bit longer than I thought it would for you to remember since you left.” The Maou observed. ‘Yeah, I’m alright.’ Yuuri answered back in his mind.

“Heika, did you remember something?” Conrad asked.

“Remember what we discussed Yuuri?” The Maou questioned, gaining another ‘yeah’ from Yuuri.

“Uh, no, sorry. My memory still seems blank.” Yuuri hesitantly replied to Conrad. Murata narrowed his eyes slightly. Yuuri didn’t give his usual ‘You’re-the-one-who-named-me’ retort when Conrad called him by his title. He had a feeling something wasn’t right. He looked Yuuri directly in his pitch-black eyes. “Are you sure Shibuya?”

“Yes.” Yuuri answered, although not returning the Great Sage’s look.

Murata knew right then that Yuuri was lying. Even so he decided not to push it for now, even with the uneasy feeling he had.

“Anyway,” Yuuri piped up, “I think I should go find Wolfram, it’s pretty late and he should be in his bed.” Yuuri swung his legs over the bed without a second thought.

“Wa-wait. Heika! I must insist that you stay in bed, your body hasn’t fully recovered yet!” Gisela watched as Yuuri slowly stood up, wavering slightly. “Heika-”

“It’s Yuuri Gisela, and I’ll be fine. I’ve been in bed too long, and I’ve got to go to the bathroom anyway.”

Gisela did not like having a patient walking about in such post-coma condition. Conrad read the look on her face that quickly went from head doctor to drill sergeant. “Don’t worry Gisela, I’ll accompany him. I won’t let him yield to anything unfortunate.”

Still not persuaded, she looked towards Murata for back-up. “Your Highness, certainly you do not approve of this do you?” Murata merely shrugged.

“I’d rather not become involved. However,” he looked over at Conrad and Yuuri, “when it comes to Shibuya, Sir Weller in my opinion is the best escort one could ask for, with his skill and speed, nothing grave should happen.”

Yuuri smiled and Conrad nodded in agreement, usual soft smile in place.

Seeing that she was apparently outnumbered 3-1, Gisela decided to be a bit more lenient for once.

“Okay, fine.” She pointed a finger at Yuuri. “But only on the condition that after finding Wolfram, you come straight back here. And you,” she turned to Conrad “have to make sure that he follows that. Got it?”

Both Yuuri and Conrad nodded.

“Good. I’ll be waiting here just in case.” Gisela made her way to a chair in the room. “I’m done.”

Yuuri beamed one of his Yuuri-like smiles at Gisela, who turned her head to hide her own smile at seeing Yuuri happy. Murata said nothing else as he watched Yuuri, expression unreadable.

“Be right back!” Yuuri said as he walked, or somewhat wobbled, towards the bathroom. Conrad was right at his side.

Now familiar to the spot on the roof where messages were sent and received in the dead of night, the intruder once again awaited further instructions.

Being a spy within Blood Pledge Castle proved to be quite a task. They had to stay undercover at all times, whether it be remaining in an isolated location or staying in costume and pretending to be a newbie, not showing their face to any one person more than a few seconds.

They were resigned to the task of overseeing the activities of the castle and making sure every event and useful detail was reported to their lord and everyone else. Even though the distance between the homeland and Blood Pledge Castle was a few days travel, messages usually arrived within a day due to the specially trained birds they used, along with a magical ornament placed inside their feathers.

The intruder had sent word of the Sage’s plan to their Master earlier in the night, after they overheard him talking about it during dinner. Every detail was recorded and sent, and with it being useful information, it was sure that new orders would arrive soon within the night.

After about 10 more minutes, prediction came true as the intruder spotted one of their birds hovering in the sky. During training, it was taught to never land but always wait for a signal to approach. The intruder snapped their fingers in a quick gesture that the bird recognized, and it immediately came forth.

Unlatching the letter from the bird and giving it a treat in return, the intruder hurriedly open the letter to read new orders. It said:

You have been doing good work reporting, and this is a crucial time that has come upon us. If you have not been detected and your reports are accurate, as I’m sure they are, then I have no doubts that what the Sage predicted will come true. When it happens and the demon king awakes, send in the message and move on to the next plan. This is a vital mission and failure is not an option. You can do it, as planned. I know that as one of my most loyal, you will make sure things go accordingly and transitions into the next phase are smooth and just.

-I’m counting on you.

“My lord believes in me, as I will make sure things shall not go astray.”

The intruder turned the letter over and scribbled a quick letter of thanks and commitment on the back before attaching it back to the bird and sending it off. They stood and watched it fly off, staring as it disappeared from the light of the moon into the night sky. Then they turned around and went back into the castle, smiling of anticipation.

With permission to move, the night was now about to be an interesting one.

Finally being able to walk again with more balance and less wobbling, Yuuri and Conrad made their way through the hallways after leaving the bathroom. Yuuri didn’t realize not doing anything but lying in bed would have such a great effect on his body, and then too his leaving from inside himself earlier than planned.

At first he had had trouble walking, as Gisela had said, but he got back used to it with only a small limp. His body still felt somewhat sore even after Gisela’s healing, but it was bearable. Yuuri also brush his teeth, as he felt his mouth clammy and unkept. He would of taken a bath too, but he hadn’t the time nor was he really up to it.

Before going to find Wolfram, Yuuri headed straight towards Greta’s bedroom. Wolfram was very dear to him, but Greta was important also and he was aching to see her. As soon as he made the suggestion, Conrad shifted gears and headed to Greta’s room alongside Yuuri, happy to do whatever the boy wanted.

“She has been really strong Heika, even after learning of what happened.”

“It’s Yuuri Conrad, you keep forgetting that.”

“Yes, Yuuri.”

“And I wouldn’t expect any less from Greta. She’s my daughter after all. I’ve always told her to be strong, no matter what. I told her that if something were to ever happen to me, then not to blame herself and stay strong. Wolfram is better anyway at this, and I would never want her to be sad. I’ve told her that one of my greatest joys is having a daughter like her and seeing her smile. Without that smile, I wouldn’t be able to smile, so she has to be strong in order to keep her smile.” Yuuri smiled himself, thinking of his many talks with Greta. He had realized that as much trouble as he seemed to get in, he wanted her to always know how much he loved her.

Conrad looked down at Yuuri, smiling softly but beaming on the inside at how much his godson loved and respected his daughter as a parent. It made him proud to see Yuuri growing up and doing things and taking care of people in his own kind-hearted way.

“You’ve always made me proud Yuuri. This world would be nothing without you.” They reached Greta’s door, the guards alert and standing on either side of the door on duty. As soon as they saw Yuuri, they perked up even more, happy to see their Maou up and about.

Stopping in front of Greta’s door, Conrad placed his hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. He looked at Yuuri as a father would look at his son, with pride clearly evident in his eyes. Yuuri was more than happy that he made Conrad proud, even if he wasn’t exactly sure of what he did to make him proud. But behind Conrad’s soft approving eyes, Yuuri thought he saw a bit of sadness behind them also.

“Conrad, is everything alright?” Yuuri asked.

“Y-Yes, of course Yuuri. Let’s go in.” He hesitated for a fraction of a second, to which only those with close observational skills would have noticed. Unfortunately it flew right over Yuuri’s head.

Yuuri nodded, and gave the guards a friendly greeting before he slowly and quietly opened the door and entered.

Greta was sleeping away on her bed, along with some tossing and turning. She was sweating and kept mumbling something incoherent, turning to her side. Yuuri silently tip-toed over to the edge of the bed, Conrad right behind him.

Yuuri glanced at her and immediately realized something was off. “What’s wrong with her?” he whispered to Conrad.

Conrad placed his head on her forehead. “She doesn’t appear to be feverish. Nightmares perhaps?”

“Nightmares huh?” Yuuri sat on the edge of the bed gently and pulled the blanket down off her shoulder some to provide a bit of cooling relief. Then he placed his hand on her back between her shoulder blades, then leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Trying his best, he managed to summon a small green light in his hand, a healing that was meant more to relax than to heal. He felt a feeling in a particular part of his chest, a disapproving warning through danketsu not to overexert himself.

Ignoring it, Yuuri started whispering in Greta’s ear softly, telling her he was there and that everything was going to be alright and whatever else that would ease her.

Watching the affectionate display, Conrad couldn’t help but house the wish, however fleeting it was, to at least be able to heal so he could help Yuuri.

With the warmth on her back and sweet words in her ear, Greta started to calm down. She stopped sweating and moving as frantically. She still mumbled, but it was softer and sounded less like she was struggling in her dream. One word that Yuuri understood as he started slowly pulling away from Greta, was his name, “…Yuuri…”

Yuuri stood up, smiling as his daughter seemed to sleep more soundly than when he had first entered. As part of his happiness, he would do anything for her. “Alright Conrad, let’s go find Wolfram before Gisela starts searching the halls for us.” Conrad agreed.

Silently making their way out of the room, they gave the guards a quick goodbye before going on down the hall. They got a ways down one hall towards the guest bedrooms when Yuuri just started talking.

“I’m glad that I have Greta. I’m glad that I have Greta and Wolf.” Conrad didn’t say anything, but was curious as to where this was going. Yuuri speaking on whatever came to mind wasn’t anything new, but the way he spoke was different. Conrad was listening, although Yuuri didn’t say anything for a few more moments.

“I’m glad I have my family over here. You, Greta, Wolfram, Gwendal, Gunter, Murata, Gisela, Lady Celi, Anissina, Hube, and everyone. I’m really grateful for what I have. I don’t think I would trade any of you for anything.” Yuuri had a distant look in his eyes.

Conrad waited some more, but when Yuuri didn’t say anything else, he decided to speak up. “Is there something on your mind Yuuri?”

“Hm? Me? No I’m fine.” Yuuri replied. Conrad got the feeling there was more to it than that, but decided not to push it. They had already reached the hallways with the guest rooms, but in following Yuuri, they had moved past many of them. “Where are we going by the way? Aren’t we supposed to be checking the rooms for Wolfram?”

“Yeah, but I think I know which one he’s in.” Yuuri just kept walking, Conrad following behind curiously.

Hallway after hallway they turned until Yuuri turned to one hallway that was short and at the end, there were two guards posted on either side of a scorched door. Conrad remembered what the guards from earlier that night had told him. “The report from earlier said Wolfram had burned a door. How did you-” Yuuri smiled at Conrad.

“I just had a feeling. I guess it connected me with this room.”

Conrad was stuck somewhere between awe-struck and curious and suspicious as to how Yuuri knew exactly which room to go to when he couldn’t have any hint whatsoever.

“Come on.” Yuuri’s words floated to him as the double black was already walking to the door.

“Can you believe it? Heika is awake!”

“I know! This is great!”

“Maybe things will start picking up around here.”

Two guards now had something interesting to talk about as they were at their stations outside of their assigned room. After finding out about Yuuri’s recovery, they were excited for him and speculated on what the outcome would be once the rest of the castle and the kingdom found out tomorrow morning.

“Maybe there will be a party? Or a honorary banquet?”

“Maybe even a whole day off for the guards?”

The two men looked at each other for a moment before chuckling to themselves. “I don’t even know why you would say that.” One of them said.

“True, Sir von Voltaire would never allow such a thing. Hey, do you remember the guy from before? The lazy one who always had an excuse not to do something?”

“Yeah I think so, he claimed to be allergic to any and every little thing?”

The other guard nodded. “Yeah that’s him. How about I heard that he tried pulling another one of his excuses again the other day, claiming to have gotten sick and was to be bedridden according to Lady Gisela’s orders, but this time he got caught flirting with one of the maids.”

Eyes widened. “No way! What happened?”

“Well I believe Doria, if that’s her name, the green-haired one, was refusing his attempts the whole time, but he kept going after her. Well, Lady Anissina overheard them and went on one of her woman’s rights rants. Then she found out he had pretended to be sick in order to get out of doing work. So then she decided that since he wasn’t doing any work and seemed to be perfectly healthy, he could help her in her lab with some experiments. By the time he was able to leave off from that duty, which was 3 days later, he was doing handstands and was obsessed with Sir von Christ for about 2 days.”

The two men laughed some more. “I bet he’ll never try that one again.”

“Yeah me too.”

Amidst their talking, the two guards never noticed the shady figure approaching them until he was right in front of them. “Hey! Who are you! Identify yourself!”

“He’s an intruder, get him! AARRCCGH!!!”

Before he could do anything, the intruder slit the guard’s throat, dropping him instantly. Making sure to make this quick, they turned around and kicked the other one in his stomach to throw him off balance, before sending a sword through his chest.

The two guards now dead, the intruder made their way into the room to retrieve their target.

Yuuri and Conrad entered the bedroom and immediately noticed Wolfram’s sleeping form on the bed.

Yuuri didn’t know how he would react to seeing Wolfram again, after everything he realized. With memories back, and feelings that never left, Yuuri understood how important Wolfram was to him and what he meant to him. The only thing is when he made all the realizations, he was when he was floating through some clouds. Now, seeing Wolfram in person slightly overwhelmed Yuuri with a reality check. A confrontation with everything he claimed.

Conrad noticed Yuuri’s hesitation, and decided to let things play out for themselves. He moved quietly to the wall alongside the bed without a word. After all the strange little things he’d noticed from Yuuri tonight, he learned that observation was his best alley at the moment.

Conrad’s movement pulled Yuuri from his thoughts. He stood there for a few seconds more, staring at Wolfram’s beautiful sleeping face. “You need not be afraid anymore Yuuri. You and Wolfram have been connected and there is no need to falter. Give in to your heart. Feel what you want and things will be okay.” The Maou felt Yuuri’s dilemma and encouraged him. ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ Yuuri told him.

Yuuri moved to the bed to gently lie down beside Wolfram.

Wolfram was on his side, so Yuuri turned so they were face-to-face on the bed. Lightly he started shaking Wolfram awake. “Wolf…Wolf…Wolfram…”

The blond stirred some and mumbled something that Yuuri couldn’t quite understand. So he tried again. This time Wolfram sluggishly blinked his eyes open, a dazed and sleepy look evident in his emerald gems. When he seemed to focus a bit more, he started making out Yuuri’s face in front of him.

“Hey Wolf.”

As soon as Yuuri said something, Wolfram seem to fully awaken and shot straight up. “Y-Yuuri?!”

Yuuri sat up beside Wolfram, although a lot more slowly. “Hey. Miss me much?”

Wolfram was stunned for all of 5 seconds before his emotion and instinct overcame him. He threw his arms around Yuuri and hugged him tightly.

“Whoa, whoa, easy Wolfram. I’m still kind of sore haha.” Yuuri smiled, happy to see and feel the relief coming from the other boy. Wolfram held onto Yuuri for at least a full minute before he realized what he was doing. He pulled off and tried to recompose himself. “I-I mean, Yuuri? How-”

Yuuri put his fingers on Wolfram’s lips. “We’ll talk later Wolf. It’s late, and I wanted to find you to bring you back to bed. We’ll talk about everything later.” Wolfram hesitated before nodding slightly. He looked around to realize that he wasn’t in their room, before remembering everything that happened at dinner. He noticed Conrad against the wall.

Yuuri got off the bed before turning and offering his hand to Wolfram. “C’mon Wolf.”

Wolfram thought that maybe he was still dreaming, because Yuuri would never have done that, or allowed him to act like he did. He pinched his arm, wondering if he would really feel it. Seeing the gesture, Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh, which confused Wolfram.

“Yes you’re awake Wolf. And no, you’re not dreaming.” Yuuri took Wolfram’s hand and pulled him off the bed to him. He looked Wolfram directly in his eyes. “Everything’s going to be alright. We’ll talk later.”

Wolfram still wasn’t completely convinced that he wasn’t dreaming, but decided dream or not he liked it. Conrad smiled at the scene before him. Hearing Yuuri tell Wolfram that they’d talk tomorrow, he figured that whatever had gotten into Yuuri tonight, he could also let the subject drop and talk about it tomorrow.

Yuuri smiled at Wolfram and took his hand in his. A faint blush crept upon Wolfram’s cheeks, thinking that he must still definitely be dreaming.

They were about to head towards the door when they heard unusual noises coming from the other side. Then a painful shout could be heard as another noise that sounded like swords clashing rang, before everything was quiet.

“Yuuri! Get Back” Conrad shouted as he drew his sword and stood between the door and the boys.

The door opened slowly to reveal a man, dressed as a ninja would with all black attire, his face covered except for his eyes, and sword in hand. He was about a foot taller than Conrad, and a bit broader. Behind him Conrad, Yuuri, and Wolfram could see the bodies of the two guards lying on the ground, their blood leaking on the ground and on the man’s sword and outfit.

Yuuri stared horrified, as Wolfram was stunned for only a second before going into soldier and bodyguard mode. Pretty sure that he wasn’t dreaming anymore, he let go of Yuuri’s hand threw Yuuri behind him. He grabbed his sword stood poised and ready, cursing the intruder. They now formed a line, with the man at the door, Conrad facing him in the middle of the room, Wolfram behind him, and Yuuri behind both of them.

“Ah, there you are, Your Majesty. You are a very troublesome Maou.” The intruder said in a deep voice.

“Who are you?” demanded Wolfram.

“Quiet down and go back to sleep, as I have no time to play with you. It would be very beneficial if you would just come with me, Yuuri Heika. We have something to discuss.”

“What did you say? Yuuri’s not going anywhere with the likes of you!” barked Wolfram.

“Calm down Wolfram.” Conrad said. His stood between the boys with his sword drawn. He studied the man in front of him, and could tell he wasn’t just another assassin. He appeared to be standing before them with his sword down and attitude cocky, but Conrad noticed how the way he grip his sword allowed him to be ready for a quick strike, or a quick defense and counterstrike. His taunting was a way to draw them into range.

“How did you get in here? Did you kill all the guards in your path?” Conrad coolly asked.

“I did whatever was necessary. Your guards are so incompetent I didn’t have to kill any of them, even if I did.”

“Then why did you?!” Yuuri spoke up.

“Because, dear Maou, achieving my goal is my top priority; which involves you coming with me for a bit, unless you want me to harm one of these precious people in here.” The man chuckled. Yuuri was more than disgusted with the man’s tone.

“Enough. You will surrender yourself or you will be killed on the spot.” Conrad ordered, shifting into his ready stance. His once soft brown eyes changed into one of those who had killed many and seen many die. Whoever this was, they were after Yuuri, and Conrad knew he would be dead with his spirit departed far away before he would let anyone lay a hand on him.

“I’m afraid that’s not an option, Lion of Lutenburg.” The man got into a stance posed for a fight, as Conrad knew he would. “Wolfram, stay with Yuuri.” He got an affirmative ‘yes’ from behind him.

“Well, it seems I haven’t a choice, but what the hell, this is your funeral.” And with that, the ninja-like man crossed the room and charged at Conrad in the blink of an eye.

As skilled as he was, even Conrad was impressed with the man’s speed, especially being taller and kind of stocky. Conrad had to stay on his toes and not make a mistake otherwise it would be over for him, as the man seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

Yuuri and Wolfram watched the fight between Conrad and this ninja, entranced and appalled at the same time. Wolfram watched the movements of the two. “Whoever this is, he is not an ordinary man. Conrad is as skilled as they come, yet he’s having some difficulty defeating him.”

Hearing Wolfram’s comment, Yuuri started to worry. “Is he going to be alright by himself?”

Wolfram turned his head slightly so he could see Yuuri, who had concern written all over his face. “Are you doubting him? He is Conrad Weller, the most skilled warrior anywhere. He’s fighting to protect you, Yuuri, and you’re doubting him?”

Yuuri shook his head no. “Of course not! I trust Conrad completely, and I can’t help but worry. Besides he’s wants to protect you too!”

“I am a trained soldier, I can handle myself. He doesn’t need to protect me. And also this is a one-on-one fight, no need for my interference. However fast this person may be, Conrad will always have the upper hand because he has more skill.”

Then Wolfram glanced behind him at Yuuri again. “Besides, I’m here for you.” Yuuri didn’t say anything else but was reimbursed with a new feeling of faith in his family.

Conrad dueled with the man, forcing himself to keep going even though his arms and wrist were feeling the sting from this man’s sheer striking force. Fortunately, Conrad seemed to have more agility and maneuvering skill even though the other one was faster.

Conrad lunged at him, clashing their swords once more. When he backed off, Conrad was ready when the man was about to strike at him, but he hesitated for a split second. Seizing the opportunity, Conrad deflected the sword from the man, knocking it into the air and away. Conrad held his sword to the ninja’s throat. “It’s over.” he said.

Oddly, the man started laughing obnoxiously. “Hahaha! It is true what they say. You are as skilled as they come! You caught my hesitation and used it to win. Congrats, Sir Weller.”

Conrad narrowed his eyes at the man. “Talk, what were you doing here? Who sent you?”

The man looked back at Conrad with steely, cool, murderous hazel eyes. “I would love to stay and chat, but it is really time for His Majesty to come with me.”

Conrad lifted his sword closer to the man’s throat. “And if I refuse to let him go?”

“I don’t think you have a choice.” came another voice from the door.

Yuuri and Wolfram eye’s traveled away from Conrad and the man over to the door. What they saw would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Alright let’s see… Yuuri woke up, he has a secret between him and the Maou roght off the back, then he’s ready to love Wolfram, then gets told by some crazy ninja to leave with him, Conrad’s determined not to let anything happen, Wolfram isn’t sure what to think as he hasn’t even been awake long, then it’s a ConradxNinja fight, then after Conrad wins, the ninja has an ace up his sleeve appearing at the door which scars Yuuri and Wolfram when they see it…

Wow this is something. Now that we have the beginning background out of the way, it’s time to get more in-depth in the story with the action and confusion and romance and confrontations. It’s going to be kewel!

Thanks for reading! I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes in this or any previous chapters, as I keep going back to try to find them but seem to always miss some.

To KP: Yes, this story is pretty much far from over as always have new ideas for it. I’m really glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing!

Anyway we’ll see what happens next time! As always, suggestions welcomed. Read and Review! P.S this story can also be found at fanfiction.net.

~Kriter~
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Determination