Author's Note:
I haven't written a fanfic in quite a while now, and frankly I am not even sure anybody reads KKM fanfic these days. I just chanced on a casual reminder of the anime somewhere, and somehow ended up watching the entire series all over again! What's more, I actually enjoyed it as much as last time, having forgotten even the most major of the plot lines! And like last time, I wished the Yuuram aspect was developed more.
So here it is. A tribute to the legend that KYO KARA MAOH was, and a closure for Wolfram (and for me).
I have seen the English dubbed version (seasons 1 and 2) as well as the Japanese version with English subs (season 3), so the terms are going to be mix-and-match of both; whatever suits the situation, basically.
DISCLAIMER: Of course I don't own Kyo Kara Maoh, or any of it's ORIGINAL characters. (I do own the OC though; and the plot!)
CHAPTER 1 – THE ROYAL ENCOUNTER
Yuri studied his reflection carefully. He could not help but admire Greta and Lady Celi's combined efforts. Seizing tonight's ball as a fortunate opportunity, both had decided to give the castle's inhabitants a radical makeover; the new dress-code would not only debut as the formal wear for tonight's ball, but also serve as regular uniforms henceforth.
Yuri himself was clad in a white, breezy puff shirt with black shoulder pads, having small golden tassels hanging from each of them. The cloth fell delicately over his torso, the material sheer enough to give nothing but a hint of his now athletic and toned body (Gunter had almost passed out from a torrential nosebleed when Yuri had first tried it). The shirt was tucked into his new black, close-fitting trousers. This, he paired with black boots; the ensemble made him appear taller than he actually was, which was, in fact, quite a lot.
Seven years had passed since he had first stepped foot in the Great Demon Kingdom. His appearance had, since then, changed greatly; he now resembled his alter-ego – 'the Maoh'. He was as tall as Conrart now, his dark hair reaching a little below his shoulders, and his eyes slender and slanting. But, somehow, they had managed to retain Yuri's kindness and naivety; at the same time, they also reflected years of maturity, wisdom and understanding.
The door to his chamber cracked open and a certain blonde breezed in. Crossing his arms, he chided, 'The ball is tonight, wimp.'
Yuri turned to his fiancé and smiled apologetically.
The most surprising of all had been Wolfram's transformation; having not changed at all for more than two decades, he seemed to have hit a late adolescent (at least in demon terms) growth spurt. Almost as tall as Yuri, he now was the splitting image of the Great One – albeit leaner, with more blonde hair and emerald eyes. Many of the new recruits – soldiers and the like – would still visibly flinch, both out of fear and respect, whenever Wolfram made his appearance.
Yuri fidgeted uncomfortably. As if his ever-volatile fiancé wasn't pretty enough; now he had to mirror the most illustrious individual in the history of the Great Demon Kingdom.
"Let's go", he said, quickly appraising Wolfram before heading towards the door. As much as Yuri loved his own outfit, he couldn't help but envy Wolfram's.
It was a sea-green tunic, a shade lighter than his eyes, with ornate, branching golden embroidery all over. The sleeves were crisp, and the margins and the buttons also golden in colour; they enhanced his hair and eyes even more. The tunic was waist- length, below which he sported an ivory-white pair of trousers and his usual brown boots.
They made their way out and headed towards the banquet hall, where the others were waiting at the entrance.
"Your Majesty", Conrad called warmly, his face splitting into his usual smile. His uniform had been changed into a burgundy one, with black and maroon borders, making him appear more as "Lord" Weller, rather than just "Commander".
"Oh, what a glorious sight His Highness is in radiant white!" sang Gunter, before quickly turning away, obviously to tend to his bleeding nose. He himself was now dressed in pale yellow robes. They only further established his angelic demeanor; it had gotten him back on the ill-famed Love Lottery as a formidable contestant.
Gwendal made an impatient noise, visibly more irritated than ever. He had vehemently opposed the change of his uniform, which was now dark-blue, with white borders. But there was no arguing with his overly triumphant mother ("But Gwennie, look at how exquisitely it brings out your eyes! One may actually overlook the frown you wear all the time!"). Anissina had uncharacteristically taken it on herself to assure her husband that it was not that revolting, and that it did bring out the eyes. When nothing had worked, she had, unwillingly, exempted him from being a part of her experiments, at least for the time being. This offer had actually consoled "Gwennie", and he had, grudgingly, accepted his new uniform.
"Hurry up, Shibuya! We have been waiting forever for you!" Ken Murata called excitedly. He himself was taller now, his dark hair tied in a bun atop his head. He wore a plain white shirt and a pair of white pants, paired with a midnight-blue blazer, which had intricate silver embroidery over the shoulder and in the front.
Yuri nodded. "Let's do this" he said, and he and his royal entourage entered the hall, to a deafening applause from the assembled gentry.
O0O0O0O0O
It was close to an hour that Yuri had entered the banquet hall, and he still had not finished his round in greeting his guests.
"Bah! I am tired!" Yuri wailed, the second he turned his back on the nobles he was speaking with.
"Wimp!" barked Wolfram, "To think you would get used to your royal duties after seven years!"
"I told you not to call me that!" Yuri shouted at Wolfram.
"Just a few more remain, Your Majesty, and then you can enjoy the party to your heart's content" Conrart said, assuring him.
Yuri slouched. "I told you not to call me that either, Conrad" he muttered reproachfully.
Conrart smiled. "Sorry, Yuri… This way."
Next, Conrart led him to Lord von Radford, who was talking to a dark-haired lady who had her back to them.
As Yuri approached, Lord Radford caught sight of him.
"Ah, Your Majesty!" he called, smiling warmly. Hearing that, the dark-haired girl turned. Yuri stopped dead in his tracks, taking in a quick breath.
She was petite and tall, her dark raven hair falling to her waist, which she had chosen to leave loose. A delicate gold band encircled her hair and forehead. Her side-bangs nested unabashedly around her almond-shaped face. Her porcelain skin seemed to radiate an unearthly glow, and her lightly-coloured small lips were stretched into a perfect smile. But what had stood out the most in her appearance, were her eyes – dark-blue, kind and piercing, all at once. She was wearing a white full-length gown, with delicate golden stitchwork, the design imperceptible from a distance – just enough to add a shimmer to the ensemble. Above it, she chose to wear a designer, military-cut, white jacket; its back tapered to her legs, while the front was waist-length. The left and right flaps were joined by a single thick gold stitch in the front, and the shoulder had detailed dark-blue embroidery, with golden specks. Despite the odd style, the jacket harmonised perfectly with her gown, and seemed to enhance her eyes even more.
Yuri gulped. She was decidedly the most beautiful woman he had ever met, both worlds combined.
Murata coughed pointedly, jolting Yuri to his senses. He confidently acknowledged Lord Radford, bowing slightly "Lord Radford. I hope you have been well".
Radford nodded, smiling, "As I hope for you, My Lord. This -", he motioned to the girl at his side "- is my grand-daughter, Irene".
Irene bowed deeply. "Pleased to finally make your acquaintance, Your Majesty" she said softly.
"Pleasure is all mine" Yuri replied, trying to sound casual, while his brain was screaming 'IT REALLY IS!' He took Irene's hand and lightly brushed his lips against it. He thought of how soft her skin was and felt blood rushing to his cheeks, ready to show in a tell-tale blush. He quickly let go of her hand and smiled, hoping nobody noticed his reddening cheeks.
Murata leaned towards him and whispered slyly, "You. Are. Roast."
Yuri staggered. Shuddering, he turned to look at the singular source of heat and hatred that had suddenly materialized beside him – Wolfram was seething in quiet fury. His jaw was clenched and Yuri was almost sure he could hear a faint growling from him. Yuri tried to gulp, but realized that his mouth had gone dry.
Murata decided he had had enough fun for the moment and moved to dissipate the situation. "Lady Irene," he said, extending his hand.
"That is the Great Sage, Irene" Radford explained. Irene's jaw dropped.
"Your Eminence", she murmured as she dropped into an even lower curtsy.
"It's Ken Murata in this life" Murata replied, hastily withdrawing his hand before anyone could notice. He continued, enquiring, "How is it that we have never met Lady Irene before?"
"That is because she was training at the Military Academy for four years. She only graduated recently and has come back to the Radford Estate" Radford explained.
Wolfram was surprised and momentarily forgot his anger. "An Aristocrat training at the Academy? That's unusual" he said.
Radford sighed. "Once she sets her mind on something, there's no talking her out of it. I had to pull so many strings to make sure her identity was kept secret during her training."
"Why was that?" Yuri asked.
"I didn't want to be treated differently" Irene answered simply.
"I also sense an amazing amount of Maryouko, Lady Irene" Murata wondered. "Any particular element?" he asked, interested.
"Very astute, Your Eminence. Irene is actually a Wind-Bearer" Radford replied.
Wolfram slunk back to his haughty self. "Yes, yes, very useful on a sunny day", he smirked arrogantly. Irene narrowed her eyes at him.
"Wolfram, behave" Yuri commanded.
Conrart finally spoke. "Your Majesty, a few more guests remain" he reminded gently.
"What? Oh, man…" Yuri sighed in disdain. Irene giggled. He looked at her, dazed.
"Alright! Let's get this done with", he declared with a new-found spurt of energy. They excused themselves. Wolfram didn't even wait to be out of ear-shot. He smacked Yuri squarely on his head. "You cheating, flirting, perverted WIMP!"
Irene turned to her grandfather, puzzled. "Why did Lord von Bielefeld call His Majesty a cheating wimp, Gappy?" she asked, saving her term of endearment for her grandfather for only when they did not have company.
"Because they are engaged to be married, my dear."
"What?!"
O0O0O0O0O0O
Only once the rounds were done and Yuri had finally dug into a chicken leg to satiate his growling stomach, that he remembered.
"Um, Conrad?"
"Yes, Yuri?"
"Why is it rare for Aristocrats to train in the Academy? I mean, wasn't Gisela also trained there? And she's Gunter's daughter, a von Kleist?"
"When Gisela joined the Academy, Yuri, she was not a noble yet. Her father was a Sergeant in the army. Just as she graduated, the Great War broke out. Gisela's father was a very dear friend to Gunter, and sadly, amongst the earliest casualties. Gunter adopted Gisela, as her mother had passed away when she was a child. He brought her to the Covenant Castle, where her healing powers were further honed and put to use under the guidance of Lady Susanna Julia" Conrart told him.
Yuri realized he was not finished yet so, so he remained quiet.
"The Military Academy was obviously set up to supply soldiers for the army. Their leaders, however, would mostly come from the Aristocrats."
'Like Gwendal and Wolfram', Yuri thought.
"Less frequently, someone from the ranks of a soldier, with subsequent promotions, may become the Commander as well."
"Like you" Yuri said proudly.
Conrart smiled. "There is no difference in the actual training regime. I don't really know why, but the nobles have always preferred to train their young ones under their watchful eyes. So it's customary for Princes to be trained at their respective estates."
"Like you trained Wolfram" he offered.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Just then, Yuri heard the said fire-wielder's voice from some distance.
"Has anybody seen the King?" he shouted irately.
Knowing from experience that this was not going to be good news for him, he silently beseeched to Conrart as he ducked below the table.
"My lips are sealed, Your Majesty" he assured.
Yuri slipped underneath the table just as Wolfram's voice floated above. "Where has Yuri gone now?" he demanded.
"I do not have the slightest clue, Wolfram." Conrart lied easily.
Wolfram growled.
"Why the urgency, if I may ask?"
"The party is about to come to an end and we haven't dance yet!"
Yuri almost let out a sound of annoyance but caught himself just in time. The moment Wolfram's heels turned, Yuri dashed out from underneath the table, and after mingling with the crowds for a while, quickly made a beeline for the door.
He was so busy looking behind him to make sure Wolfram hadn't seen him, that he hadn't noticed the white-clad figure who was about to enter the hall.
BAM!
He had crashed onto her and both fell down with the impact.
"Uff!" both mumbled. Yuri looked up.
"Lady Irene!" he shouted. He jumped up and offered his hand. "I am so sorry!" he apologized.
"Your Majest-ty" she winced a little as she took his hand. Yuri gently helped her to her feet.
At precisely that moment, Yuri saw Wolfram approaching the door, looking the other way. He quickly led Irene outside, behind the door flank, mouthing a "shh" whilst putting his finger over his lips. Irene narrowed her eyes, then nodded. Yuri strained to hear.
Wolfram's exasperated voice came right at the door now. "Where did that wimp disappear off to now?" He peeked out the door, left and right, down the corridor. "I swear once I find him, I will – I will- Grrrrr…!" With that, he pranced back inside, muttering angrily to himself.
Yuri waited a few seconds, just to be sure, then sighed in relief. Irene coughed politely. Yuri realized he was still holding her hand and hastily let go. "Sorry" he said quickly.
"It's fine", Irene said, smiling. "The real question is, why you are hiding from your own fiancé, Your Majesty" she asked mischievously.
"You know that?!" he asked, embarrassed and annoyed at the same time.
"Grandfather told me."
"Great." Yuri muttered, as he walked away from the banquet hall. Irene hesitated for a second, then followed him.
"It was an accident" Yuri finally explained. "It was my first day here, and Wolfram got me really mad about… well, something." He skipped the part about Wolfram insulting his mother. The status quo had long changed, and both parties absolutely adored each other, he thought tiredly. "So I slapped him out of anger."
Irene let out a low whistle, "Tough luck."
"Yeah."
"Then, aren't you allowed to break such an accidental engagement?" she asked curiously.
"Well, the limited number of times I did try to talk to him about it, he got really upset. So I left it at that. Frankly, it wasn't too much of a problem for me…" he smiled nervously. 'Until now' he added in his mind. He chanced a glance at Irene, walking beside him. 'Damn. She is beautiful' he thought gloomily.
'Um, Your Majesty, where are we going?"
"Oh… I was heading out to the courtyard, to get some fresh air. Say," he mused, "why were you out anyway?"
"Same reason", she replied. "It was getting stifling inside."
Yuri nodded. He directed her to turn at the end of the corridor, where they descended the stairs in silence for some time.
"It must have been hard for a noble to adjust to the Academy, huh?" Yuri asked after a while.
"Actually, those four years were the best of my life, Your Majesty", she replied with a toothy grin.
"Really?"
"I didn't mind staying in the shared quarters and the bunk beds at all! In fact, it was a welcome change from the large rooms we had in our castle" she replied. "Large, but lonely", she added as an afterthought.
Yuri thought about it. It made sense. He was glad he was brought up in a simple Japanese home, in a closely-knit, though overly-protective and at times, embarrassing, family. It made him the person he was.
Irene continued. "The best part was, as nobody there knew my identity, the people there liked me, for me – my character, my skills and abilities, even my shortcomings."
Yuri smiled, liking her more and more each minute himself. "I see your point" he replied.
They had reached the courtyard. Yuri stepped down the stairs, and putting his hands on his waist, took a deep breath. "Aaahhh…" he exhaled, feeling the slight but refreshing nip in the air. Irene followed and walked up to the ledge surrounding Celi's personal garden, perching herself on top of it. She peered at the flowers, trying to discern the details in the moonlight.
Yuri walked up to her. "That's Lady Celi's personal assortment. All of the flowers have very interesting names", he explained.
"Enlighten me" Irene said softly, patting the ledge beside her. Yuri sat.
He started with the crimson flower. "That is Celi's Red Sigh… That green one over there is Gwendal's Frown… That bright yellow one is Beautiful Wolfram…" Irene rolled her eyes ever so slightly. Yuri chuckled, before continuing, "Those blue ones at the back are Conrart Standing Tall… And this amber-coloured one… It's called Yuri's Innocence" he finished.
There was a moment's silence. Then, to Yuri's utter shock, Irene slid towards him, closing the space between them, so that their bodies almost touched. He was uncomfortably aware of the scent of Irene's perfume - refreshingly breezy with a flowery hint.
"I bet His Majesty is not that innocent", she murmured seductively.
Yuri sat still, shell-shocked and scared out of his wits. Due to Wolfram's over-protective nature, no woman had ever been able to make advances at him; he had zero experience in dealing with this kind of a situation.
Irene raised her hand and gently caressed Yuri's face, trailing his cheek with her finger in one slow, fluid motion.
"L-Lady I-Irene…W-W-Wait –", Yuri started, finally finding his voice.
Irene looked at him intently and then dug her face into the crook of his neck. With a jolt, Yuri realized she was about to kiss him. Just as he was preparing himself to stand up, Irene whispered urgently, "Listen, Your Majesty, do not react under any circumstance; you must calmly listen to what I am going to tell you."
Yuri stiffened. This was unexpected. Irene continued, all the while caressing his hair, "There are intruders, four – maybe five – surrounding us right now, hiding just out of sight. Do not try to look for them." Yuri closed his eyes, lest he impulsively did exactly that. Irene briefly looked up at him, to see how he was coping. Finding him reasonably calm, although with eyes closed, she then nestled on the other side of Yuri's neck; to anyone observing from a distance, they would appear to be whispering sweet-nothings to each other.
Irene continued "They are probably waiting for the ideal time to attack; we must catch them by surprise instead. The moment I tell you, make a run for it, go to the banquet hall, and get help, while I keep them busy here."
"But, Irene…", he whispered, putting his hand on her back, both protectively and to complete the act. Irene looked up at him and cupped his face with her hands. "It's purely selfish, Your Majesty. If I let anything happen to you while you are with me, I will never hear the end of it."
Yuri managed a small smile, then nodded resolutely.
Irene got up and started wandering around the garden. Yuri knew she was trying to ascertain the exact position of the intruders. "So, I hear you are from a different world?" Irene asked, trying to keep things casual. Yuri complied, keeping his voice steady. After seven years, he had finally learnt to lie. "Yes. It's called Earth."
"How different is it from here?" she enquired.
"Well, worlds apart, actually", he chirped and both giggled, temporarily forgetting their dangerous predicament. "For starters, the demons cohabit peacefully with humans; many of them not even aware of their demon lineage. Um... what else… Yes, they lack magic, but more than make up for it in technology and research. There are new inventions being made every day."
"Like Lady von Karbelnikoff?" she asked, interested. Despite being out of the circuit for so long, even she had heard of Lady Anissina's formidable talent for inventing strange, but occasionally useful, contraptions.
"Hahaha" Yuri laughed nervously. "Well, it's more controlled back there, without needing to, well… torture test subjects" he answered honestly. He continued, "We have devices to talk and see people miles away, we can fly without wings… Human there have actually been to the moon and back!"
Irene gawked at him, then shook her head. "Sounds pretty damn magical to me", she conceded. She completed her round and approached Yuri, her smile fading a little. Yuri clenched his fists on his knee, ready.
"NOW!" Irene shouted at the top of her lungs, slashing at the air in a particular direction. Two huge white arcs materialized, the particles in them whirring chaotically. They entrapped a hooded figure that had just jumped out from a corner.
Yuri sprang to his feet and made for the stairs as Irene covered him. She slashed again at a tree from where another cloaked figure had appeared, heading towards Yuri; he was now pinned to the tree trunk by similar looking arcs from before. Yuri reached the corridor and ran towards the stairs to make his way to the hall, shouting, "GUARDS! HERE, QUICK!" just as Irene immobilized two more intruders.
Exactly then, a small voice came from the corridor on the opposite side.
"Yuri? What's going on?" Greta asked uncertainly, emerging from the corner.
Yuri froze in his tracks. He quickly turned to shout out a warning to her, but it was already too late.
A fifth man, taller and heavier in built, jumped out from his hiding place, and landed next to Greta, keeping a sword at her neck.
"Aaah!" Greta squealed.
Irene gasped as Yuri shouted, "NO! GRETA!"