Disclaimer: I don't have a demon kingdom of my own; therefore I'm playing with this one!

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It was going to be a beautiful evening that day. The birds had all returned to their nests, their chirping songs fading from the air as they settled down for the night. The surrounding forest's canopy shone a brilliant orange as the sun began to dip below the horizon.

A single dewdrop glittered brightly in the sunset as it fell from a leaf tip deep in the woods. It plummeted through the air before it promptly exploded, giving way for the 27th Maou of Shin Makoku Shibuya Yuuri Harajuku Fuuri. He gave a panicked yelp as he completed the dewdrops decent to the ground, landing spectacularly right in the middle of a mud puddle.

He groaned, pushing himself up. He rose to his feet, trying to wipe away the mud sticking to his clothing. "Hey, Murata-" He glanced up, cutting himself off as he realized he was utterly alone. He glanced up and down the dirt road that stretched off on either side of him. "Murata…?" he called hesitantly, stepping forward and promptly tripped over something on the ground. He let out another groan as he met mud for the second time that day.

He pushed himself into a sitting position, not caring when the mud began to soak into his light pair of summer pants. "This is going to be one of those days…" He gave a heavy sigh, glancing at what had tripped him. His cheeks immediately turned red, as he let out a squeak, staring at the umbrella that he'd been forced to use back on Earth.

It had just so happened that today, of all days, had decided to pour rain, and that thing was the only umbrella in his house. It wasn't just the fact it was a startling neon pink umbrella, or even the bright glow-in-the-dark sparkles, or even the cute little prancing unicorns all across its surface, no the real kicker was that it was here in Shin Makoku with him for everyone to see.

He groaned for the third time since he'd appeared, hitting his head against the ground and right into the mud puddle again. "This isn't going to be my day," he declared to the darkening forest around him.

He could see it now, Wolfram wouldn't let him hear the end of it, Gunter would probably find something about the umbrella to go into a wailing tangent that required crushing the young Maou in a tight hug, Gwendal on the other hand would probably find the unicorns were absolutely adorable even though the Mazoku wouldn't admit it to anyone, Greta would love it as well and Conrad-

A sorrowful expression appeared on his face. He'd forgotten again, Conrad wasn't… here or rather at Blood Pledge Castle. Yuuri bowed his head, staring unseeingly at the ground. Conrad was now a part of Greater Shimaron's army and everyone believed him to be a traitor to Shin Makoku.

Yuuri pushed himself up off the ground again, hands tightened into fists. He didn't believe that for moment, he couldn't believe that. There had to be a reason, Conrad just had to have a reason why, and Yuuri was dead determined to find out what it was.

Yuuri had told everyone last time he'd been in this world, after the tournament against Greater Shimaron, that he was going to go back and speak with Conrad. He remembered his friends had tried to stop him and in the end, the decision was taken out of his hands when he'd fallen into the sea with Murata, transporting them both back to the beach on Earth.

He'd been stuck there for just over three months after that, moping around, trying to find a way back to Shin Makoku with absolutely no success. That had been the longest he'd ever gone without the other world since he'd been flushed down the toilet the first time. Things hadn't been settled and he'd desperately wanted to come back, now he just hoped nothing else had happened in his absence. Who knew how long it had been since he'd last been here, after all, time did flow differently between the two worlds.

He gazed up towards the sky, studying the few stars that had started to appear. He frowned slightly, wondering where everyone was. Usually someone would be along to collect him by now. He gingerly rose to his feet, glowering down at the evil mud puddle as he picked up the umbrella. The thing was embarrassing yes, but it was his Mother's favorite and there was no way he would intentionally leave it behind. He needed to start moving soon, otherwise he was going to get stuck out here in the forest by himself, which was not an appealing idea at all.

He glanced up and down the narrow road, wondering to himself exactly which way he should go. He wasn't sure where he was, let along which direction would lead him to Blood Pledge Castle. Just as he was about to randomly pick which way to go, the sound of galloping horses reached his ears. He turned towards the right, a grin spreading across his face as three horses appeared out of the gloom, heading towards him.

"Hey!" he shouted joyfully, waving his arm exuberantly over his head. "Over here!"

Murata had called him up that morning, asking if he wanted to hang out. Yuuri had been in the mind to decline in favour of moping around the house again, when Murata had tactfully added on that he knew where the portal to Shin Makoku was. Needless to say, that had gotten Yuuri moving. He'd rushed out the door, not even noticing the state of his umbrella until Murata had met up with him and commented on it.

"Hey-" the rest of the sentence died in his throat as he caught sight of the riders. All three were dressed in black cloaks, faces covered entirely by flawless silver bird like masks. Yuuri breathed in sharply. He would never forget those masks for as long as he lived. He still had nightmares about Conrad fighting them off, even though his arm was gone and the burning church was closing in around him. And here they were again, come to finish what they started.

The next thing Yuuri knew, he was bolting for the forest, his feet reacting quicker then his numbed mind. He didn't spare a glance as he tore into the woods, weaving wildly between the trees, running faster then he ever had in his life. His heart pounded wildly in his ears, as he prayed that he wouldn't trip on a stray tree root. He heard a crash of leaves of someone following somewhere behind him, making him panic. He banked a hard left, hoping to throw his pursuer off only to crash head long into another. He gasped, stumbling backwards, only to have the cloaked figure he'd crashed into grasp hold of his shoulder with a crushing force.

"Let go!" he yelled, swinging his embarrassing umbrella like a sword at the cloaked figure, trying to force them to release him. The make shift weapon bounced harmlessly off the person, making Yuuri gulp. He gazed up at the daunting figure. "Say, couldn't we- ow!" The hand tightened painfully on his shoulder. "Let go!"

On an impulse he lunged forward at the person, head butting the figure in the stomach. Stomachs, he discovered a moment later, were a lot harder then they looked, as the small lump on his head could attest to but it got the job done, sending them both over and the cloaked figure grip loosing.

He scrambled forward on all four, trying to push himself up, only to have the person's hand clamp down on his ankle. He went over with a yelp, crashing to the forest floor. His mind went into full blown panic as the cloaked figure began to bodily drag him backwards. He clawed frantically at the ground, dragging his nails through the dirt, scratching his fingers on the sharp stones as he did so. It wasn't working though, the cloak figure was easily over powering him, not at all effected by his flailing attempt to escape.

"Let go! Let me go!" His free foot seem to react on its own, working on the sheer terror he had of being caught. He lashed out, hitting the person's wrist full force. There was a sickening crack and suddenly he was propelling himself forward, almost over balancing himself. He scrambled to his feet, dashing away as fast as he could, stomach turning horribly at what he'd done. His feet flew over the ground, carrying him swiftly away.

He chanced a glance over his shoulder, and was relieved to see that he'd gained quite a lead on the cloaked figure. He ducked behind a group of trees, blocking the masked figure from sight, a slight smile appearing on his face. Looked like his luck was finally turning for the-

A gasp escaped his mouth as his foot caught a tree root. He could only watch in horror as the edge of a ravine rushed up to meet him. Sky and ground mixed as he tumbled down the hill side, rocks and twigs stabbing at him as he fell. There was a sharp pain from the side of his head as he hit something, making a collide scope of colour dance before his eyes. The last thing he knew was his back colliding with something hard, bringing him to a complete stop.

Not again! He'd seen this too many times, he'd lived through it once, he didn't want to see this! Not the flames that had hungrily destroyed the church. Not the half Mazoku who desperately tried to protect him. God he didn't want to see this again!

Conrad! Conrad had lost his arm and all the great Maou of Shin Makoku was able to do was stand there in horror as the gruesome scene unfolded before him.

He still remembered the unbearable heat, the smoke stinging his eyes and his throat. That at one point he'd tried to cry out to the soldier but his voice had gotten stuck in his throat. And finally right before a blast had thrown him through the portal at the back of the church, their eyes had met for a brief moment, a vow passing the other's lips.

And then everything fell apart.

He'd been whisked away, leaving behind the scene of battle and flames. Leaving it all behind… while he was pulled away to safety. How many times had that happened now? How many times did someone stand and fight while he was drawn away from the battle? He didn't want that! He didn't want them to put their lives on the line for him. He didn't want-

"Yuuri."

Wait… who was…

"Don't let them catch you."

His eyes snapped open, meeting the faint blue glow of Julia's pendent. Without thinking, he slowly reached out, pulling it across the ground back towards him. He gently brushed his fingers over its surface, the smooth stone feeling warm against his cold skin. Where was he?

He blinked sluggishly, setting his hand down over the pendent as he shifted his head off the ground. He winced as his skull began to pound fiercely in protest. He lay still again, waiting for it to calm down, as he stared out into the darkness that surrounded him.

The soft gurgle of a stream reached his ears as he realized he was lying on a shallow streambed. He could just make out the side of the ravine that he'd tumbled down earlier in the darkness. After several more minutes had passed, he slowly began to push himself up, only to discover the log above him. He barely muffled his cry of pain as his bruised back hit the mossy log above him. He dropped again to the muddy ground, gripping tightly at the dirt as his head seemed to pound in time with his back.

"This really isn't my day," he whispered through gritted teeth. He shivered, just then realizing exactly how cold he was. "I've got to get out of here." Slowly and carefully he began to crawl his way out from under the log. Once he was certain he was clear of it, he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, gently resting back against the log. His head was spinning but not enough that he couldn't move if he was careful.

His body tensed as he slowly realized that other then the sound of the running stream right beside him, the entire woods were deadly silent. That didn't bode well for him. If he had to guess, he'd say the cloaked figures were still hunting for him. With that thought in mind he quickly stuffed his pendent under his shirt, hoping the cloth would be enough to muffle its blue glow. He was probably lucky that they hadn't spotted him already when he was out cold.

He gave the log a gentle pat before pulling himself up on his feet. "Thanks for the help," he whispered to the fallen tree. He stood gingerly for a moment, making sure he was completely balanced, before taking a step forward. When nothing bad happened, he gave a small sigh before slowly starting to make his way down the riverbed. The stream gurgled softly around his shoes, soaking into the already wet material, not that he really cared at this point. He was soaked, muddy and covered in bruises, there really wasn't much more he could do to ruin his clothing.

He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. It was chilly here, the ravine probably not helping with the warmth at all. He wasn't even going to bother trying to climb out of the embankments, not with his head pounding the way it was and let alone the fact it was dark out. He probably shouldn't even be moving around, but with the cloaked figures possibly still lurking around, waiting till morning seemed like a very bad idea. He just hoped Blood Pledge Castle wasn't too far away.

"Knowing my luck so far today, I'm probably heading in the wrong direction." He grimaced at the thought. This was the first time he'd been completely alone in this world since he'd first arrived, but even that time had only lasted a few minutes before Conrad had come charging in on horseback.

His feet continued to slosh through the cold water, slowly taking him farther from the moss cover log he'd woken up under. He was starting to feel lightheaded again, but was stubbornly trying to ignore it. He quickened his march, determined to get himself out of this mess, the dream-memory still fresh in his mind. There'd been too many times already where someone else had come to his rescue, so it was about time he pulled his own bacon out of the fire.

He was quite capable of getting himself out of this, all it required was keeping a level head, not running into the cloaked figures again and getting to Blood Pledge Castle before he fainted from exhaustion, so no pressure what so ever. He could do this.

He might be a clueless wimp like Wolfram said, but he was bent and determined to get out of this on his own two feet. He'd been the Maou long enough that he could do some things by himself now. He didn't need people babying his every step like Shori or acting as a shield like C-

His throat tightened, the edges of his vision blurring slightly. He quickened his pace, trying to focus solely on the stream before him. It was so dark out, the treetops covering up any light the moon could provide. His foot caught on something in the streambed, sending him over. He went down hard, the palms of his hands scrapping across the small rocks and fallen branches that littered the ground.

"Oww…" he moaned, his head not liking the sudden change in altitude. The world felt like it was wavering from side to side ever so slightly, making him hesitate as he tried to push himself into a sitting position.

He managed after a moment, slowly sitting straight, with his eyes shut, trying to calm the pounding in his skull. "I knew traveling at night was a bad idea." Once he felt brave enough he slowly opened his eyes, lifting his hands so he could inspect them. They were bruised and scratched but at the very least not bleeding at all.

He sighed heavily, placing them in the chill stream. A tiny smile crept onto his face as the water soothed the sting from his palms. After a while he cupped his hands, gathering a small amount of the water, which he eagerly drank. The cool liquid soothed his throat, and seemed to lessen the pounding in his skull.

"As soon as I get to Blood Pledge Castle I should probably get Gisela to take a look at my head," he whispered to himself. "Hopefully I can find her before Gunter spots me." He grimaced. The last thing he wanted to do was cause a scene, which the lavender haired Mazoku would do as soon as he found out Yuuri was injured.

He could see it now, Gunter would be balling his eyes out, not doubt crushing him in a hug to the point where he couldn't breath anymore and just generally causing a commotion that would, no doubt, attract Wolfram over. The blond would probably start yelling at him, ranting on about him being a cheater and a wimp and anything else Wolfram could think of, but at the same time, the blond would be dragging him as quickly as he could to Gisela to make sure that the young Maou really was alright. Or even run to get her himself if Yuuri couldn't make it to where she was. That would leave him in Gunter's care and Yuuri was certain Gwendal would just avoid the whole mess all together. It just wasn't the same though, not without…

Yuuri buried his face in his hands. He couldn't think about that right now, even though that one person had been on his mind for the last three months, distracting him from everything else. He pushed himself up onto his feet again, breathing deeply. He needed to keep going, even though the world felt like it had permanently gone off kilter in several degrees to his left. That really couldn't be a good sign, he knew, but he brushed it off all the same. He continued onward, moving slower than before, wary of falling again.

"I wonder how far this forest goes on for," he whispered, calming his nervousness of the dead silent forest. There was only one way to find out really. He squared his shoulders, marching resolutely forward. He'd only gone about three steps when there was a loud snap of a branch breaking underfoot, which wasn't his own. He froze, eyes snapping towards the left where the sound had come from.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest as he tried to strain his ears, listening intently for any sound. The stream murmured around him, the soft rustle a stray breeze, and then the crisp sound of leaves moving as someone ran down the embankment toward him.

Without a thought Yuuri took off, not sparing a glance over his shoulder. He abandoned his stealth, splashing loudly through the water, racing to get away. The person behind him sped up, trying to catch him. His heart pounded loudly in his throat, head spinning wildly, making it difficult to keep his footing. He was going to trip, he was going to trip, he just knew it.

He scrambled to the edge of the stream, clambering up the side of the embankment. He had no idea where he was going, just that he had a better chance of loosing his pursuer in the woods then he did down in the stream. He'd almost reached the top when the loose dirt gave out beneath his foot. He yelped, hitting the earthen slope hard as he slid back down. Before he even had a chance to recover he was roughly shoved onto his back, the cloaked figure with a bird like mask looming over him. The person raised a hand and the last thing Yuuri saw was a brilliant white flash.

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A single torch flickered absently in the gloomy dungeon, dancing in the icy drafts that blew through the underground tunnels. The firelight flickered, casting wavering shadow lines on the young Maou's face. Yuuri sighed miserably, hugging his legs closer to his chest as he stared up at the prison bars from the back of the cell.

It was freezing here, his breath rising in clouds of vapour before him. He moaned sadly, letting his head hang. Why? Why did things always have to happen to him? He should have been able to get himself back to Blood Pledge Castle but instead he ended up here, the prisoner of an unknown group. No doubt they realized he was the Maou as well, why else would they hunt him down long after the sun had set? They were going to probably threaten Shin Makoku now, threaten his country, with him as their leverage. He wasn't as clueless as most people thought, he knew how much trouble this would cause. Maybe not the full extent but enough to know this was really, really bad.

If the person in charge, who captured him, was smart, they'd know they had a free ticket to the two Forbidden Boxes that currently resided in Shinou's Temple. He pulled his knees closer, burying his face in them. Wolfram was right, he really was a wimp, one who couldn't even get himself out of trouble.

If that person demanded the boxes, things would get messy fast. A war could easily be sparked, Shin Makoku desperately trying to fight to get her king back, but where exactly he would end up in all of that took place, he didn't know. No matter what the out come was, things didn't look good for him currently. Even if the boxes were handed over, there wasn't any guarantee that he would be safely returned. He shuddered, though this time it had nothing to do with the cold.

He rose to his feet, pacing agitatedly back and forth, trying to warm himself up. He needed an escape plan, and fast. He had to get out of here, wherever here was though. "Come on Yuuri think!" he told himself.

He'd woken up a little while ago in this cell, and so far he hadn't had any visitors so far. Come to think of it, he hadn't even heard the sound of another living thing down here, only the echoes of his own feet, marching back and forth across the stone prison.

He strode four steps one way, before he was forced to turn sharply and walk the four steps the other way. He turned sharply again, pacing back his four steps before once again having to change directions. The cell was one of the more roomy ones he'd been in, sadly though, the chain connected to the back wall of the cell and his right ankle made it impossible for him to utilize the full space given to him, as it was, he couldn't even move more then two and a half steps from the wall.

This prison barely deserved the one star he'd decided to give it: there weren't any beds, the leg iron was starting to chafe his ankle pretty badly and the place was freezing. The one and only quality it had was that it was so cold that no sensible rat, or this world's equivalent of a rat, would bother to take up residence down here. Yup, barely one star.

He couldn't help the wistful smile that spread across his face. One time when he, Wolfram and… Conrad were captured, he couldn't remember exactly which time that had been now, he'd gotten bored waiting for something to happen and had commented on how that had been on of the more comfortable prison cells they'd ever been in. Conrad had found that amusing while Wolfram had huffed, muttering about him being a wimp. The idea had caught on though, and anytime they'd been thrown in a cell after that, Conrad would ask him how many stars their newest accommodations received. Yuuri chuckled lightly to himself, the sound echoing unnervingly around the underground dungeon. Even Wolfram had started getting in on it the last few times until…

His smile fell, a heavy sigh falling from his lips. The torch flickered silently on the wall opposite his prison, the only source of light.

Until… Conrad had betrayed them all.

The young Maou gently fell back against the wall careful not to hurt his bruised back, and ignoring how cold the stonewall was. He wondered how everyone was doing or even if they'd noticed that he was missing. They could if they'd found Murata yet, otherwise… he let the thought trail out.

Another sigh escaped him, sitting himself once again upon the stone floor. His head was still pounding badly, a large welt long since formed there. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself as he studied the three walls that made up his prison, glittering gems dazzled brightly in the low light from where they produced from the rough stonewalls. They were beautiful, twinkling in the faint torchlight, almost like stars in the night sky.

Who knew houseki could be so pretty and yet hurt Wolfram, Gwendal and other full blooded Mazoku so badly.

Yuuri still remembered how shocked the others had been to discover that houseki didn't have any effect on Yuuri, or picking up a holy sword for that matter. It seemed they didn't realize that he, like Conrad, was only half Mazoku, or maybe even less than that come to think of it. Mazoku had been on Earth for a very long time, after all, and he wasn't sure how big their population had been to begin with.

Perhaps everyone forgot he was only half Mazoku because he could wield maryoku. He wondered if the could even tell the difference between a half Mazoku and a full. It could just be the fact he'd been raised on Earth and couldn't see the difference but the only thing he'd been told that was associated with Mazoku was the double black hair and eyes, which was only applied to royalty if he remembered correctly. He'd have to ask Gunter about that sometime.

Strange though, anytime he'd disguised himself and gone into human territory with Wolfram and Conrad in tow, he couldn't recall anyone being the wiser, except when he accidentally blew their cover of course. His Maou Mode, as he called it, was just a little too flashy sometimes. Back on track though, he wasn't able to tell the difference between Mazoku, humans, half Mazoku or half humans, so he wondered if anyone else could. Wasn't the entire thing ridiculous then?

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He needed to focus on getting out of here. Not that he really could see a way to get loose from the leg iron or how to get the keys for his jail cell. He pushed himself back onto his feet, glancing around, hoping to find something to help him.

It was then, he heard the echo of several people marching, and by the sound of it they were moving towards him. He glanced up, listening to them approach, he shuffled forward as far as the chain around his ankle would allow him. He took a deep breath, trying to appear as calm as he could. Who knew what was going to happen to him now.

The first guard appeared in the view of his cell, followed by two others. Yuuri inhaled sharply, eyes going wide. He knew that military uniform all to well, it was the same one Conrad had been wearing when they met at the tournament. The young Maou of Shin Makoku was currently in the hands of Greater Shimaron.

There was no doubt then, they were going to use him to get the Forbidden Boxes from his country.

Yuuri hands tightened at his side, there had to be something he could do. There just… wait, Greater Shimaron, that meant Conrad-

A loud click broke into his thoughts. He blinked realizing they'd just opened the door to his prison, two stayed by the doors while the third entered the cell. Yuuri stood there hesitantly not sure what was expected of him. All three of the guards were armed and by the stances of them all, they were ready to pounce on him if he even breathed wrong.

The guard in the cell, pulled out a pair of shackles, holding them open towards Yuuri. The young Maou understood the silent command instantly. Not knowing what else to do, he held his hands out, allowing the cold irons to be snapped shut around his wrists. The guard then bent down, unlocking the chain from his leg.

Yuuri glanced back at the guard, unsure what exactly he was suppose to do now. The guard rose, shoving him roughly forward towards the entrance to the cell. Yuuri yelped, scrambling for his footing, desperate to keep himself upright. He would have gone over, if not for one of the two guards at the door that grabbed hold of him, roughly setting him on his feet.

"Er, thanks," he told them nervously.

He couldn't even see the person's face from the helmet they were wearing. The guards said nothing in reply, simply shoving him forward, indicating for him to follow the first guard who had started marching down the hall. Yuuri sighed, carefully following so not to upset his delicate balance, the last two guards followed directly on his heels. They moved utterly silently around him, not one of them making a sound, if not for the echo of their feet Yuuri would have sworn they weren't even there, and that started making him wonder if they were even alive. They passed row after row of prison cells, all of them empty of prisoners, much to Yuuri relief.

They'd been walking for a good ten minutes or more, when Yuuri hesitantly cleared his throat, "Excuse me, um, do any of you know if… a Sir Conrad Weller is here…?" His question was met with utter silence, not even a twitch to indicate that they'd heard him. He hesitated, not sure if he should try asking again but in the end decided to stay silent.

Not long after that, they reached a staircase leading upwards. The steps were narrow, spiraling upward in a tight loop. Yuuri's head began to spin horribly as they lead him upward and upward in what was starting to feel like an endless spiral. Then all too suddenly it came to an end and he was being led through richly decorated halls, with nicely polished floors. Finally they came to a stop before a large set of wooden doors, guarded by a double set of soldiers. One of them approached his small group, a small key in his hands.

To Yuuri's surprise, his shackles were unlocked, leaving his hands free before he was roughly shoved through the doors into the room beyond and the door slammed loudly shut behind him. Yuuri gathered himself slowly, swallowing hard, as he glanced around the new room he'd been thrown into.

It was an audience chamber by the look of it, expansive with richly decorated walls and yet, there wasn't a single piece of furnishing in the room except for a rich golden throne that sat upon a dais at the far end. Upon the beautifully carved thrown sat the only other occupant of the vast hall.

"Yuuri Shibuya the 27th Maou of Shin Makoku." Yuuri felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck as he stared across the expansive room at Greater Shimaron's King.

Belal looked- he looked terrible, Yuuri couldn't find any other way to describe it. The man's face was sunken in as though he hadn't eaten in days, completely different from when Yuuri had seen him last at the tournament. There wasn't even an expression on the King's face, or in his eyes for that matter. Yuuri shivered, it was almost as if he was dead, like his soul had been sucked out.

Belal spoke again, his voice an utter monotone. "I heard you've been inquiring after one of my soldiers, why would that be?"

Yuuri frowned, how could Belal even know that? None of the guards had entered the room, let along spoken a word, and when Yuuri had asked, they'd been no where near this chamber for Belal to hear him. So then, how did Greater Shimaron's King know he'd said that?

"What business to do you have with Sir Weller?"

Yuuri's skin crawled as Belal turned his head ever so slightly. The man was talking to him, but his eyes, his eyes weren't even focused, let alone looking anywhere near where the young Maou was standing. 'Puppet,' the word rang out in his mind, making Yuuri frown. Where had that come from?

"I want an answer boy."

Yuuri swallowed hard, suddenly wishing that someone else were in the room with them, he'd even take a couple of those creepy guards right about now. He took a deep breath, studying the man opposite him.

"Who are you?" he asked wearily. His voice echoed around the hall, sending his nerves farther on edge. "I don't know what you're playing at, but you have no right to use Belal like a puppet-" Belal began to laugh.

Yuuri froze, the hysterical laughter not helping his nerves in the slightest. He backed up a step, even though he was already as far away as he could get in the room from Belal. There was a soft rustle of a cloak just out of his line of sight to his left, making him jump. Yuuri whirled around, only to come face to face with a dark cloaked figure, staring at him from behind a silver bird like mask, exactly like the ones he'd seen the cloaked figures in the forest ware.

Yuuri expression hardened as he spoke again, voice deep and commanding as he could get it. "Release Belal now." He wasn't sure how, but he knew without a doubt this person beside him was the one controlling Belal.

Greater Shimaron's King took a deep breath, answering for the figure. "Do you really believe that I will listen to the words of a mere half Mazoku brat, Play King?"

At first Yuuri wasn't sure how to react to that statement, let alone the fact this person realized he was a half Mazoku or even that he sometimes wondered if he was only playing at being Shin Makoku's Maou. Belal chuckled wickedly, the cloaked figure still using the other's voice to speak.

Yuuri ground his teeth together. "Release Belal! You have no right-"

"Me? I have no right?" A dark red almost black aura surged up around the cloaked figure, startling the young Maou. "YOU have no right to speak to me brat!" Yuuri felt his breath hitch in his lungs as he struggled to breathe. The aura around the cloaked figure was growing even stronger. "You know absolutely nothing of this world."

Yuuri panted heavily, struggling to get enough air to speak. "Let… Belal go!" he gasped. He wasn't fazed at all by what the other had said, he'd already heard all that before and it was something he already acknowledged. He was trying to learn as much as he could about Shin Makoku's people but it wasn't something he could just learn over night. "You don't have-" he struggled to gain his breath, "have any right using-" Why couldn't he breathe? What was that aura? "-using Belal as a puppet!"

Cold laughter echoed around the hall, emanating from Belal's throat, chilling Yuuri. "Perhaps I have over estimated you after all, I expected you to noticed by now." Belal chuckled gleefully, even though there was no expression on his face.

Dread crept over Yuuri but still he wearily asked, "Noticed what?"

"There's nothing left of that disgusting human," came the answer from Belal's own mouth. "His soul is gone, all that's left now is an empty shell, which will die as soon as I release it."

Yuuri froze in utter shock, mouth hanging open. No way. He couldn't believe it, Belal was already- "NO!" he roared, his maryoku violently flaring to life around him, making the hall tremble. "I won't let-"

Suddenly the dark aura leapt towards him, grabbing at his limbs, trying to restrain him. He cried out in a mixture of pain and surprise as the aura burned at his skin where it touched. He raised his free hand, striking at the substance, dispelling it with only a stroke, but more latch onto him, coiling around his ankles, his waist, any part of him it could reach. He gasped for air, struggling continuously to hold off the offending substance. It was difficult, his head spun as he struggled to keep himself free in his only half aware state.

Anytime he called upon his Maou Mode, it was like another took control and his own mind drifted away. Sometimes he could vaguely remember what had happened and a few rare occasions he had complete control over what he was doing. This time however, it felt like he was caught somewhere in-between his normal self and his Maou Mode.

He hissed as the dark aura caught hold of his right arm, burning the skin like acid. He wasn't getting enough air into his lungs. He was going to suffocate. His vision swam before his eyes even as he struggled onward. He raised his left arm, aiming to destroy the dark aura. But before he could even connect the blow, his left arm was rough yanked behind his back, the tendril wrapping itself tightly around his chest, effectively pinning his arm to his side.

He gritted his teeth, yanking at his body, desperately to pull himself free with dwindling strength. His own blue maryoku flickered around him, power almost spent, before being snuffed out completely like a candle. His mind was reeling, barely holding onto consciousness.

He gasped, trying to fill his starved lungs, head spinning in circles. The acid continued to curl around his limps, one tendril stabbing harshly into the palm of his right hand. He cried out, though hardly a sound escaped his throat as his palm began to burn as blood leaked across his skin from the large jagged cut.

A deep chuckle sounded before him. "Things are finally coming together, and that is all thanks to you, Play king."

'Who is that? It doesn't… that's not Belal voice…'

"You held out longer than I expected, perhaps I should have at least credited you with stubbornness. No matter, now all that's left to do with you, is take what's rightfully mine."

Yuuri struggled weakly, trying to pull free, or even speak at this point, but he could hardly even feel his body anymore. The dark aura tightened around him, pushing him farther into the darkness that was threatening to consume him. He fought fiercely against it, desperately trying to open his eyes to see what was going on.

There was a soft chuckle before the voice whispered from what sounded like only a few inches from his ear. "If you live through this, Play King, remember you brought this entirely upon yourself."

He struggled to force his eyes open a crack, even though he was afraid what they would see. Through his blurry vision he could just make out something being held before him, its surface glowing brightly.

'A gem…'

The dazzling stone was a deep blood crimson, its glittering light almost blinding. Everything seemed to disappear as he stared at it, all of the world just falling at the gem's glow grew with intensity. He was drowning but it was still there, sparkling like the sun.

Suddenly something within him rose, trying to break free from him. He cried out but the sound was lost to his ears. It kept trying to pull away, making his body feel as though he was being torn to pieces. He screamed again, shutting his eyes tightly but the blinding gem was still there, a powerful force tearing him apart. Slowly it was breaking away, one connection and then another, snapping away like threats as the gem continued to pull. He wasn't going to last like this.

'Con…rad…'

The name came to the forefront of his mind. Where was the soldier? Why wasn't he here?

'Conrad.'

The half Mazoku was always there in time to save him. He was always there… always protecting him.

"CONRAD!"

"You are no longer my master."

It ripped. The last strand holding it to him snapped like a brittle string, allowing it to disappear along with the radiant gem, leaving him to fall alone through the blinding darkness with nothing to guide him.

'Con…rad…'

Stupid, he berated himself. He'd forgotten again. The one he'd been calling for had betrayed them for Greater Shimaron. Conrad… Conrad wasn't coming to his rescue.

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And voila! The first chapter of my third Kyou Kara Maou fanfic, well first long story, the other two are one shots. Please tell me what you guys think! Reviews are greatly appreciated.

That's it for now, see ya next chapter!