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The Next Time We Meet	By : HauntedReality Category: +G to L > Kyou Kara Maou Views: 5709 -:- 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 1 - The King of Denial

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 will be canon up until that point and then anything goes--even after
I get my hands on more episodes. What does this mean for you? Heavy spoilers!

AUTHOR�S NOTE: I love this anime! I discovered it very
recently and absorbed the episodes like they were crack or perhaps like
something you would absorb instead. Anyway, even after reading all the
fanfiction I could get my hands on it still didn�t seem like enough, and thus,
The Next Time We Meet was born.

Special thanks to the administrators of AFF for opening up a
section for this to be posted. I hope many more authors follow suit!

At the moment there are no planned pairings for this story
just some good old introspection and drama, but if I know my writing (and I
think I do) anything can happen. Please enjoy the ride and don�t forget to
review!

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

Everything was as it should be.

The army of Big Shimaron had been defeated through the
combined efforts of New Makoku and the human-run countries that assisted them. Alliances
had been forged. Friendships had grown. And the people Yuuri cared most about
in his home away from home were all returning to where they belonged.

Yuuri struggled to keep his large, obsidian eyes open. He
had been awake for most of the voyage back to New Makoku. Whenever Gunter had
fawned over him in concern, he simply pretended he was too wound up from all
the excitement to sleep, but in truth his small body was limp with exhaustion.
The only thing keeping his exceedingly heavy eyelids from slipping closed and
sending him off into a deep sleep was fear.

Fear that if he closed his eyes, Konrad would be gone when
he reopened them.

Ever since finding himself sucked through a very unlikely
toilet, something he still wasn�t comfortable thinking about, he had one
constant in his life--Konrad. The tawny haired man with rich copper eyes had
served as his friend, confidant, advisor, protector, and most recently traitor.

But it wasn�t the fact Konrad had held a sword against him
or the way he said Yuuri was no longer his master that really caused the young
maou pain. After all, he had never actually considered himself Konrad�s master
and as his sword instructor they had battled on countless occasions. What was
unfamiliar was his prolonged absence. Somehow being with the tall soldier even
when they were meeting as enemies was a more comforting prospect than being
without him--wondering where he was, what he was doing, and why.

He knew in his heart that Konrad had never truly betrayed
him...them. He meant them. Konrad never betrayed New Makoku. His actions in
battle against Big Shimaron proved that clearly enough. He had almost died
protecting Yuuri, and now he was healing and on his way home to Blood Pledge
Castle.

Everything was as it should be, but the dark haired boy
still avoided sleep just to be sure.

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

Yuuri had a history of having bizarre dreams like the time
he was the leader of a crime syndicate that made its riches by stealing yard
gnomes or the time he fought off a team of ninjas using only a banana and a
piece of twine. His mother had always said it came from the peculiar snacks he
craved before bedtime--the oddest of which had to be the peanut butter and
bacon sandwich complete with green olives.

Whether his dreamscapes were inspired by randomly associated
bits of memory or randomly assembled bits of food one thing was for sure, he
wanted to wake up. Instead of the abnormal or fantastic he was relieving a nightmare.

He was trekking through unfamiliar territory where the
sharp, frozen air stung his overexerted lungs. He was trying to escape an army
of pursers when a lone silhouetted figure came into view before him. He felt a
warm swell of hope ballooning inside his chest. He knew he was right after all.
Konrad had returned to explain why he had been acting.

Only that isn�t how nightmares go. He warned them of danger
ahead, which seemed to be validation for the faith Yuuri had bestowed in him.
Only, then the words fell from his lips--those words that tore at this heart
and abused his mind. �The next time we meet, I will really be your enemy.�

Yuuri sat up straight with a glimmer of sweat barreling down
his damp forehead. He blinked hard, thinking he had almost allowed himself to drift
off. But when his dark lashes separated fully and his surroundings came into
view, he realized he was no longer aboard the transport ship--he was in his
room.

�Huh?� he blinked again, thinking he would find himself back
aboard the high seas, but nothing had changed. He was sitting in the center of
his soft, lavish bed that seemed much bigger without a certain blonde taking up
more than his fair portion of space. Nothing seemed peculiar or out of place
except him not remembering how he got there.

He stretched his arms out and released a much needed yawn as
he racked his brain for any memory of leaving the ship. It was then an expanse
of pink caught his eye. Holding his breath, he allowed his head to tip downward
to fully take in what he was wearing. It was a light pink, very frilly, very
non-baseball-looking set of pajamas, typically worn by Wolfram, but never by
his majesty.

�AAAAAH!� he shouted out in surprise while jumping to his
feet as though he had been attacked by the flimsy material that loosely flowed
over his trim build.

�Your Majesty, what is wrong!?� Gunter called out in concern
as he burst into the room at full tilt, rapidly darting his eyes around in
search of attackers who no doubt wanted to rob him of his precious king.

�What am I wearing?� cried Yuuri with a touch of irritation
and a healthy dose of shock. His voice sounded more like Wolfram�s than his own
typically sweet, forgiving tones.

�Pajamas, Your Majesty,� Gunter answered succinctly with a
hint of confusion.

�No, I mean, how did I end up wearing them?� he relaxed his
voice and asked with his usual kindness.

�Oh...that. Well, I dressed you, Your Majesty.� A small pool
of blood formed just beneath his right nostril as he spoke.

Yuuri couldn�t prevent the blush that deepened the pink
tones in his pale complexion. His desire to discuss his unorthodox sleepwear
had suddenly vanished. Looking anywhere, but at the similarly blushing
silver-haired advisor he noticed how bright it was outside his grand windows. �What
time is it?�

�Almost noon. Lunch will be served shortly.�

�I�m late for my sword practice with Konrad. Why didn�t he
wake...?� The words froze unspoken in his throat. Sad eyes cast themselves
toward the elaborate tiled flooring. �Right,� he responded to himself when the
answer became clear. It seemed his long sleep had made everything seem more
dreamlike.

He had almost forgotten about the absence, the betrayal, and
the injuries. Almost.

His slightly mused bed hair fell in wild patterns over his
forehead until he jerked his head back upright. �Well, he will be well enough
to continue my training soon. Until then I better get some food before Wolfram
eats it all.� Laughingly, Yuuri went to his wardrobe to begin getting dressed.

He missed the wounded look on Gunter�s face as he slowly
excused himself from the bedchambers. His king was smiling again, and the last
thing he wanted to do was face those downcast eyes or watch the sparkle fade
from view as he tried to explain why Yuuri couldn�t trust the man he trusted
more than anyone to hold a sword near him again.

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

Yuuri stomach scolded him as he dashed through the long
stone corridors of the castle on his way to lunch. He hadn�t realized how
hungry sleeping could make a person. Upon arriving he dramatically swung the
doors to the dining room open and exclaimed, �I�m starved! What�s for lunch?�

Former maou, Cheri smiled winningly at him before returning
her exuberant attentions to Yozak, who looked frightened for the first time since
Yuuri could remember. Gwendal gave only a curt nod as a sign of acknowledgement.
Gunter looked as though he was ready to launch into some elaborate greeting
when he was cut off by a certain prince.

�You were late, wimp. So I ate yours,� Wolfram stated dismissively
without making eye contact. His words seemed edged with an extra douse of
vinegar.

�What!?�

�I am your fianc�. It was my duty to see it didn�t go to
waste,� the emerald-eyed boy replied haughtily.

�What does that have to do with anything?� Yuuri muttered as
he looked longingly at the nearly empty plates of food.

�Don�t worry, I saved a plate for you, Your Majesty,� Gunter
interjected.

�Great! Actually, I think since all of you are basically
done I�ll just go eat with Konrad.�

Looks were exchanged all over the table, but it was Gwendal
who finally spoke. �That is not the best idea right now.�

Yuuri�s eyes narrowed defensively, �Why not?�

�He is still recovering from his injuries,� Cheri
interjected.

�All the more reason for me to go! He needs some company to
cheer him up so he gets well sooner.� Awkward silence was his only response.

�Perhaps, later,� Gunter offered vaguely.

�Why not now?� Yuuri was becoming frustrated. He was certain
they were hiding something from him, and after all the surprises and upheavals
of the last few weeks he was not in the mood for anymore secrets.

Wolfram snapped to his feet and angrily slammed his palms on
the large oak table before him. �Because Weller is a traitor, and a wimp like
you can�t tell the difference between someone who cares about him and someone
who just hurting him!�

Yuuri felt a spike of rage like a river of fire bubbling up
inside. Instinctively, he raised his hand to strike the bold young prince, but
stopped inches from his face. He had made that mistake once before and knowing
the consequences now he was in no mood to repeat it.

Letting his arm fall to his side limply, he simply turned
and walked out without another word and without his meal. He had suddenly lost
his appetite.

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

Konrad stared at a particularly long crack in the ceiling.
It splintered into a hundred smaller cracks, tracing their own path along the
gray stone. He tried to count them, but they were far away and too
interconnected to discern one from another. He only wanted some activity to
keep himself from thinking about the past few weeks, but no amount of
distraction was enough to prevent the image of Yuuri�s tear-stained face from
reappearing in his mind�s eye.

Even resting on a cot in the medical ward of the castle,
under guard and attended by the talented Gisela he was haunted. He could still
hear the pained crack in Yuuri�s gentle voice as he asked, no, begged to know
why. Why was his trusted friend telling him they were enemies? Why had he
remorselessly thrown his long time friend, Yozak from a towering cliff? Why did
he betray him?

Konrad wanted to tell Yuuri why.

His heart clenched as though it were trapped in a vice each
time he saw the pain he was inflicting on his king and his brothers and his
friends. If he could spare even a fraction of that suffering with an
explanation he would have done it in a heartbeat. But to explain was to fail in
his assignment. Only he had failed and in so many different ways.

�Time to check your bandages,� the doctor with jewel-toned
hair called out. She eased herself into a sitting position on the edge of his
bed as she gingerly lifted the blood-soaked rags that covered deep puncture
wounds from the arrows he had physically blocked for Yuuri.

�The other two are healing nicely, but this one is being
stubborn. It is a lucky thing for you that I came back from Caloria when I
did,� she chuckled with a friendly attitude. But inside she struggled with her
thoughts too, wondering what could have made the man she had known all her life
act so strangely.

�It has been awhile since I�ve treated an arrow injury. With
tensions as high as they have been recently we have been lucky not to have more
battles. King Yuuri seems to be doing quite a good job for a novice to our
world.�

He nodded weakly, and it was obvious to her that he lacked
the will to respond, so she didn�t push him. �You should get some rest,� she
advised before leaving his side.

Konrad only continued to stare unblinkingly at the ceiling
where instead of a pattern of interlaced cracks, he saw glistening tears
streaming down the youthful face of a shattered maou.

-ooo-oooooo-ooo-

Wolfram had taken his cue to exit the dining room
immediately after Yuuri, thought he took care to go the opposite direction from
the angry king. He had no desire to be lectured by Gunter or yelled at further
by the dark haired boy. Then again, perhaps, the distance was more to protect
himself from another outburst.

The fair-skinned boy with dazzling emerald eyes and golden hair
leaned on a cold, stone wall for support, but instead sank to the ground. He
absently touched his left cheek with delicate fingertips that even after years
of sword use had never developed a single rough callous.

He had noticed the way Yuuri purposefully avoided slapping
him the way he had when he became outraged at their first meeting. That first
flesh to flesh contact between the young men had entered them into an
engagement that Yuuri never embraced, but never dissolved either.

Wolfram had grown to care deeply about the young king whose
heart seemed large enough to show kindness to everyone in the country or,
perhaps, even the world. So when he pulled away or shunned his own fianc� the
pain ran even deeper because he knew a stranger would have received more affection.

Still, he could hardly blame Yuuri for being angry this
time. He was still a little shocked by what he had done. He thought he trusted
Konrad.

It was true that Konrad was half human and that knowledge
had all but severed the brotherly bonds they shared, but ever since Yuuri had
become Maou, Wolfram had been able to view his half brother through new
eyes--devoted eyes. Somewhere along the way of sharply referring to his brother
as Weller he had begun to gently call him Konrad again. Of course, he blamed it
on spending too much time with his wimp fianc�, but it was still nice to have
him back in his life.

And then all of this had to happen. Even as he watched his
brother don the Big Shimaron uniform and say he was no longer loyal to New
Makoku, he couldn�t believe it. Deep down, he knew his brother was no more a
traitor than he was a wimp.

He was thrilled when Konrad released their bonds and joined
them in battle. And then when he agreed to return it was like everything was
going back to normal--something that had been desirable ever since Yuuri
arrived. And yet, there he was in the dining hall, screaming at the top of his
lungs that Weller was a traitor.

Everything had been fine until he had seen that innocent
look in Yuuri�s pitch black eyes.

Apparently, he trusted Konrad, just not with Yuuri.
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The Next Time We Meet