Chapter 5

A/N – I know that none of you read the A/N at the beginning, so the main author's note is at the end. Enjoy the story!

Wolfram looked at Miko, wishing he could understand what Yuuri and she were saying. To him, it meant nothing, and it made him feel left out.

'Ah, Yuu-chan,' said Miko, 'how is your relationship with Wolf-chan progressing? How is everyone in the Demon Kingdom? You should clean your room as soon as possible – it's a complete mess. How you sleep in it, I'll never know.'

'Mom, we – '

'Mama, Yuu-chan,' she said. She then added, looking incredulous, 'reasons for coming can wait till later! We have so much to do!'

She suddenly noticed that they both were standing at the doorstep.

'How rude of me!' she exclaimed, 'not even inviting you in… what kind of mother am I? You both must be freezing, you're soaked to the bone!'

Yuuri loked at Wolfram's lost expression.

Taking him in is up to me, then, he thought, feeling self-conscious.

He took Wolfram's hand in his own and stepped over the threshold. This gesture did not go unnoticed. Miko clapped her hands in delight and said, 'Oh Yuu-chan, it's great to know that you two are closer to each other now, I – '

'Um, mom, can we talk about this later?'

'Its mama, Yuu-chan,' was Miko's swift answer, 'and of course we can talk about this later, and we will have a talk about it. We'll have a good long discussion on the wedding – did you say that you have a daughter in that world? We'll select a beautiful bridesmaid's dress for her, I was thinking about light pink, what do you think? Wolf-chan would look lovely in a dress, and – '

'Yeah, umm…' said Yuuri, 'do you still have those language converters Gwendal gave you? The thing is, this trip wasn't exactly planned, and uh, Wolfram can't understand what we're saying.'

'Not planned?' said Miko, frowning slightly. It lasted only a second, before her smile returned, wider than ever, 'did you two escape to have a romantic date? You shouldn't do things like that though… everyone must be really worried – '

'It's not like that!' Yuuri said, blushing to the roots of his hair.

'Then how is it?" asked Miko, her hands on her hips, then, lifting one finger to her chin, said, as if in thought, 'that is all unimportant, though. I think I kept the plugs in my room. I'll go get them, till then you take Wolf-chan to your room and get him ready.'

'Okay, I'll do that,' said Yuuri, 'but for what?'

'Have you forgotten?' asked Miko, 'we're going to see Sho-chan tonight. He had invited us over to see his new house last week, remember?'

'Ah, yes, I remember now,' said Yuuri, leading Wolfram to his room, 'I'll get him ready.'

'Yes, you do that,' said Miko. She then walked away, talking to herself about the joys to seeing one's son settled.

'What was Miko-san saying?' asked Wolfram, as soon as they reached Yuuri's room.

'She said that we're going to see Shori tonight,' said Yuuri, going through his wardrobe, 'and that I have to get you ready. I can lend you my clothes.'

'Where is Shori now?' asked Wolfram, seating himself cross-legged on the bed.

'He started working for Bob a couple of months back,' said Yuuri, 'and he just got this new house about two weeks ago. He's invited us over.'

'Oh. I see.'

Yuuri gave Wolfram a sideways glance and noticed that he was shivering.

'Hey,' he said, 'are you cold?'

'No,' said Wolfram, crossing his arms and glaring defiantly at the floor.

'Yes you are!' Yuuri insisted, 'there's no need to get all defensive about it! Here, take this.'

Yuuri picked up a quilt that was lying next to Wolfram and wrapped it around his shoulders. His fingers brushed against Wolfram's neck and the contact brought a blush to both of their faces. Wolfram looked up at Yuuri, and saw that he was concentrating on adjusting the quilt. This pleased him, as it meant that he had free reign to gaze into Yuuri's deep black eyes. Wolfram had hardly ever seen them so closely before, and never with Yuuri not looking.

Yuuri became acutely aware of the way Wolfram's wet hair was clinging to his pale skin. He found it irresistible.

For a brief second, Yuuri looked up, and their eyes met. Emerald clashed with onyx, and Yuuri couldn't have looked away to save his life. The magical moment came to an end when Wolfram looked away, clearing his throat nervously.

Why did I do that? He thought, I'm just letting him hurt me all over again..

'I –' said Yuuri, taking a step back and scratching the back of his head, 'I'm sorry about that.'

'You don't need to apologize,' mumbled Wolfram, wrapping the quilt tighter around himself.

Yuuri went back to choosing an outfit for Wolfram.

.

What can I give him? He thought, he'd look amazing in anything I give him… I might as well ask him.

'What do you want to wear, Wolfram?'

'I don't know,' said Wolfram.

'What's your favourite colour?'

'Black,' said Wolfram instantly, the vivid memory of Yuuri's raven hair and obsidian eyes fresh in his mind.

'Black?' asked Yuuri, 'but I think green would look better on you, it would bring out your gorgeous eyes…'

'What?' asked Wolfram, positive that he had misheard Yuuri.

'Nothing,' said Yuuri, embarrassed.

Wolfram sensed Yuuri's discomfort and changed the topic.

'So, Shori's house…'

'Yeah,' answered Yuuri, 'he had invited us as soon as it was made, but dad couldn't get time off work. So we're going today.'

'It seems like a family thing,' said Wolfram 'just tell me if I'm – '

'You're not,' said Yuuri firmly, throwing Wolfram a pair of jet-black jeans and an emerald green t-shirt. They landed on his sodden hair and slid off onto the bed, 'I've already told you – you're like family.'

Wolfram looked at the clothes sadly.

'Right. Family.'

Yuuri didn't have time to try to figure out the reason behind Wolfram's disappointed tone, because at that moment, with a great flourish, Miko entered the room.

'Wolf-chan!' she said, 'I've got the plug!'

She threw it in his direction, and he caught it deftly. In his eagerness to put it on, he dropped it.

'I need to tell you something,' said Yuuri, finding Wolfram engaged in trying to retrieve the plug

'Yes, Yuu-chan?'

'I…' said Yuuri, wondering how to tell her. He gave Wolfram another fleeting look, and saw that he was looking for the plug under the bed, 'I broke our engagement.'

'You what?' asked Miko, 'and now what are you planning to do? It's obvious you like him now – blushing like crazy whenever he looks at you – you're worse than a love-sick puppy!'

'Yeah, I suppose,' said Yuuri nervously.

'So?'

Yuuri looked blank, 'So what?'

Miko didn't look the least bit exasperated. On the contrary, she looked like she had never been more excited in her life, 'When are you planning on telling him? Why haven't you already?'

'He doesn't like me anymore, does he?'

Miko felt like thumping her son for being so insufferably dense. Wolfram was still bent over, his hand outstretched to reach the deepest recesses of the bed.

'Yuu-chan!' Miko exclaimed, 'have I really not taught you anything? It's crystal clear that Wolf-chan returns your feelings. What did you think, that he just forgot about you?

Yuuri didn't say anything. In truth, that was what he had thought.

Miko shook her head, 'Feelings aren't something that can fade away in a day, Yuu-chan. Wolf-chan loves you now as much as he ever did. He just isn't showing it in fear of not making you feel uncomfortable. Undoubtedly he did not notice your obvious attraction to him.'

'He really likes me?'

Miko smiled, 'Of course he does. You must be the only person who doesn't know it.'

'Really?'

'Yes. And now when do you plan to reinstate the engagement?'

Yuuri fell into thought, 'I should wait for the right moment, shouldn't I?'

'Yes, it would be better that way,' said Miko, and then added as an afterthought, 'and more romantic!'

'Mom!'

Miko giggled, as Wolfram inserted the plug into his ear.

'Now come down quickly, you two,' said Miko, 'your father will be here any minute now, and we'll set out then. I just have to pack up some curry – poor Sho-chan doesn't get any there, he probably misses it. Yuuri, you have to help in packing it, okay? Wolfram, go get changed now.'

'Yes, mom,' said Yuuri.

'Yes, Miko-san,' said Wolfram.

'Call me Mama, Yuu-chan, Wolf-chan,' she said, winking at the latter. She left the room, closing the door behind her.

Wolfram looked at Yuuri, 'She still thinks we're engaged?'

'Yeah,' said Yuuri, and then added, not knowing what else to say, 'maybe it's better that way.'

'This confused Wolfram, but he pushed it from his mind. He decided to tell her when he got the chance. She deserved to know the truth. Picking up his clothes, he left to change.

Yuuri sighed, looking at the door through which Wolfram had disappeared. He then got up to help his mother.

--

Five minutes later, they were all seated in the car. Wolfram's excitement was infectious.

'This is fabulous!' he said, 'the lights are glowing! It looks magical…'

'How come you weren't so awestruck on the aeroplane?' asked Yuuri.

'The what?'

'The thing we went to America in,' explained Yuuri.

Wolfram shrugged, 'That's because I was concentrating on the work at hand.'

'In that case,' said Miko, 'you should enjoy this trip. Who knows when you'll be able to come next time.'

Wolfram nodded, excited.

'What's that?' he asked, as they rushed past a shop.

'An ice-cream stand.'

'And that?'

'A bus stop.'

'And that?'

'An electricity pole.'

'It's really tall.'

'It is,' said Yuuri, grinning at Wolfram's mesmerized expression, feeling enchanted.

'What does it do?'

Time passed as Yuuri did his best to satisfy Wolfram's curiosity. Half an hour into their journey, Wolfram saw something that almost made his heart stop, 'How are the pictures in that box moving?'

Yuuri couldn't help but laugh at Wolfram's shocked expression, 'That's a television. It's nothing special.'

Wolfram looked at Yuuri, incredulous, 'What do you mean, nothing special? Whatever you do, don't let Anissina see it, she'll kill Brother in her attempts to create one.'

'Don't worry, I won't,' said Yuuri, unable to get his eyes off Wolfram. He was captivated by the way the golden street light reflected off Wolfram's hair. He noticed a strand of it was out of place. He leaned over to tuck it behind Wolfram's ear.

'If you'd concentrate on something other than each other,' said Miko, leaving them both blushing and sputtering. She looked anything but reprimanding, 'you'll realize that we have reached.'

They looked at the house. It was beautiful, with roses creeping over the walls and large, arched windows.

'My Sho-chan is doing so well for himself!' said Miko, her voice thick with emotion.

'Yeah, he is,' said Yuuri.

'It's great to know that you could all make it,' said Shori, stepping out of the door. He paused, sniffing the air, 'did you make me curry?'

'Yes,' said Miko, hugging him, 'you probably don't get any here. How I missed you! The house seems so empty without you!'

'Thanks for the curry, mom,' said Shori.

'Mama, Sho-chan,' she corrected gently.

'So, Shori,' said Yuuri, 'you have anyone to share this house with?'

Shori blanched.

'You found me a daughter-in-law?' asked Miko, 'I'm so happy!'

'So?' said Yuuri.

'Yuu-chan!' Shori exclaimed, blushing furiously. Yuuri looked as if Shori's reaction proved his point.

'Now, Shori, don't bother denying it,' said Yuuri sagely, wagging his finger, 'by the way, what's her name?'

'That can wait till later,' said Shori, crossing his arms, 'let's go inside. You brought Wolfram along with you, then?'

'Yeah,' said Yuuri, 'it was an unplanned trip.'

'Did he come alone?'

'Like I said, it was an on the spot decision.'

'What he means to say,' said Wolfram, walking to the door, 'is that he dragged me to earth with him.'

'I see,' said Shori, and then leaning toward Yuuri added, in a whisper, 'you just couldn't bear to be separated from your precious fiancé, could you, Yuu-chan?'

Yuuri shook his head angrily, 'I'm not the priority here!'

'Stop fighting,' said Miko, already half inside and peeking out of the door, 'my sons are meeting after a month apart and all they can do is fight! I wish I had daughters!'

'Well, we're bound to do our month's worth of fighting now,' said Yuuri.

'Come inside!'

'We're coming!' the two brothers said together.

--

They ended up face down in a pool that was near a two storeyed house. The house was pretty, with roses winding around it and ornate windows. Two boys were visible through them. One was blonde, the other boy's hair was jet black.

'Look,' said a boy who got up from the fountain, 'it's them! And just look at the way they're talking to each other! Are you sure they aren't already together?'

'Yes,' said the girl, tucking her sodden brown hair behind her ear, 'even though they both are being so obvious about their feelings.'

'Why can't they just figure it out?!'

'I think we should leave them alone now.'

'Yeah, they seem to be doing just fine.'

'I suppose it's because we did such a great job before.'

'All you did was sit in a corner and complain!' said younger boy.

'That wasn't me, it was you!' said the older one

'How can you – '

'Stop fighting, we need to get back,' said the girl.

'How?'

'He said that we would be able to get back when they would summon us,' said the girl. As soon as those words left her lips, a whirlpool began to form, and they were sucked back into the Demon Kingdom.

The Sage was ready to welcome them when they got out of the fountain.

'How was your trip?'

'Short,' said the girl.

'Well, it gave you satisfaction, didn't it?'

'I suppose,' she sighed.

'I wanted to ask you something, though,' said the Sage, 'when you know the outcome, what are you doing here?'

'We were bored,' said one of the boys.

'I see,' said the Sage.

'And they didn't witness it,' said the girl, 'I wanted them to see it first-hand.'

'Well, that answers my question,' he said, 'I suggest you stay her for a day or two to wait for them to come back. You can send another letter – it'll probably speed things up. You can then contact Anissina and return to your time.'

The girl nodded, 'Yeah, I know.'

'Okay, whatever you say,' said the younger boy, 'though why did you even send us there if it was only for a minute?'

'Because your sister wouldn't have let me be if I had not,' said the Sage, 'now wait here, the shrine maidens will get you food.'

--

The inside was even more majestic than the outside, with its sweeping, luxurious carpets and exquisite tapestries. The group was walking towards the living room. Yuuri and Shori were in the lead, followed by Wolfram, while Miko and Shoma brought up the rear. Yuuri was busy trying to persuade his brother to tell him the identity of his girlfriend.

'Ah, come on, Shori,' he said, 'you can tell me! I'm your brother!'

'I still won't tell you,' said Shori, 'you can't keep a secret to save your life.'

'That's not true!' said Yuuri indignantly, 'just give me a chance.'

'I will not,' said Shori.

'Please,' begged Yuuri, trying his best to look as pathetic as possible.

'No,' said Shori, 'unless…'

'Unless what?' asked Yuuri.

'Unless you tell me what made you realize your feelings for Wolfram,' said Shori quietly, so as to prevent Wolfram from hearing them, 'it seems like an interesting story. You wouldn't just relinquish your ideas about two boys in a relationship over a day, would you?'

'How do you know that I like him?'

'You are as obvious as ever, Yuu-chan.'

'Am I?' asked Yuuri.

'Yeah,' said Shori, 'how about the story?'

'I suppose I could do with advice on how to tell him,' said Yuuri, surprised by his own choice, 'and thenyou have to tell me about things at your end.'

'Okay,' said Shori grudgingly.

Behind them, Miko gestured to Wolfram to come to her.

'Yes, Miko-san?'

'Call me mama, Wolf-chan,' said Miko cheerfully.

'Yuuri may not have told you, but we're not engaged anymore,' said Wolfram quickly.

'I know that,' said Miko, 'but for my comfort, call me mama, even if it's not for your relationship with Yuuri.'

'Okay, mama,' said Wolfram, surprised at feeling only a light stab of pain at the mention of their past relationship, 'what did you wish to tell me?'

'Just that,' said Miko, and then added in a whisper, 'and don't give up hope yet.'

Wolfram didn't pay this piece of advice much heed, but for the sake of politeness said, 'I won't.'

'Good.'

Shori listened to Yuuri patiently while he recounted a short version of the happenings of the past two days.

'Well, it seems like my guess was correct,' said Shori, 'this is an interesting story.'

'Glad to know that you enjoyed it,' said Yuuri sarcastically.

'There's no need to get peevish about it.'

'I want advice.'

'I don't know why you didn't take Gwendal's advice and just tell him,' said Shori, with just the barest hint of exasperation in his voice.

'I don't really know that myself,' said Yuuri, 'but I know that I can't do it right now… I want this to be special for him.'

'I see,' said Shori, 'why don't you just propose again when you get back? It would be better if he had his friends and family with him at the moment.'

'What, you mean slap him?' asked Yuuri.

'Yes.'

'I could do that,' said Yuuri thoughtfully, 'I'll have to be careful to not do it too hard, though. I might hurt him.'

'You do that,' said Shori, 'and we've reached.'

'Oh, that's good,' said Yuuri, looking around the room. It was just as perfect as the rest of the house, 'and don't forget your promise, you have to – '

'Yuu-chan, can you help me unpack the curry?' asked Miko, 'you did this in a strange way – just look at this knot! It's far too thick; we'll have to cut it with a knife. Where's the kitchen, Sho-chan?'

'Second door on the left.'

'Right,' said Miko, 'come with me, Yuu-chan.'

'I'm coming,' said Yuuri, following her to the kitchen.

At that moment, Shoma's cell-phone began to ring, and he excused himself. Wolfram and Shori were left alone in the room. Wolfram felt nervous. He had never been alone with Shori before, unless you counted the time when he was possessed. He didn't know what to say.

'It's a beautiful house,' said Wolfram.

'Thank you,' replied Shori, looking at Wolfram appraisingly.

There was an awkward pause, before Shori said, 'Come with me, Wolfram.'

'Where?'

'You'll find out soon.'

Wolfram hesitated. Shori flashed him an amused look.

'Don't worry, I wont kill you.'

Wolfram followed Shori to a study. There, Shori opened one of the drawers and pulled out a small red velvet box.

'Did Yuuri ever tell you about how one proposes on Earth?'

'No,' said Wolfram, wondering where this was leading, 'we don't really talk about things like that.'

Shori nodded wordlessly.

'What is that?" asked Wolfram.

'It's a ring,' said Shori, 'on Earth, when one wishes to marry the one they love, they get down on one knee and offer the other person this ring. If they accept it, then they are engaged.'

Wolfram nodded, understanding. It was a much neater way. There would be no danger of stinging cheeks.

'I want you to have it,' said Shori.

'Why?'

'So that you can give it to Yuu-chan.'

Wolfram was at a loss for words. He felt tears sting his eyes, but he fought them back.

Why is everyone doing this? It's not like he'll ever love me back.

'Don't you know that your brother doesn't have feelings for me?' he asked, fighting to keep his voice normal.

'Give him another chance,' said Shori, 'just keep it. If you don't want to give it to him, it's fine. But just in case you change your mind…'

Shori thrust in into his unresponsive hands. Wolfram opened in. Nestled in the blood-red velvet cushion, was a diamond ring.

'It's yours,' he said, shaking his head and holding it out to him, 'it would be stupid if I – '

'Don't worry about that,' said Shori, 'it's the thought that counts. The ring itself is secondary. And plus, Yuuri must have already told you – we're like family. Brothers-in-law, if everything works out.'

Wolfram looked at him, not knowing what to say.

'Keep it,' said Shori, 'you never know… he might just return your feelings.'

Wolfram was saved from responding to what he believed was an untrue statement by the arrival of Yuuri. Wolfram quickly pocketed the box. Yuuri was panting. He frowned on seeing them together.

'What are you two doing?' he asked, 'you should have said something before you went.'

'Sorry about that,' said Shori, 'I just wanted to show him something.'

'Right,' said Yuuri suspiciously.

'Now then,' said Miko, who just entered the room, 'who wants dinner? We just got the table laid out.'

'Come on,' said Shoma, laying a hand on Miko's shoulder, 'before the food gets cold.'

--

Two hours later, Yuuri's house –

'That trip was certainly satisfying,' said Miko.

'Shori didn't even tell me the name of his girlfriend!' said Yuuri, 'I wanted to know!'

'He'll tell us when he's ready,' said Shoma.

'Say, what did Shori want to show you, Wolfram?' asked Yuuri.

'Some Earth things he thought might interest me,' said Wolfram, thinking fast, 'I told him how fascinated I was by those things we saw while coming, he thought he'd show me other stuff.'

'What were they?' asked Yuuri, looking slightly suspicious.

'There was this thing called a microwave,' Wolfram said, remembering Ken mentioning something of the sort a long time ago.

'We should go back now,' said Yuuri, 'days must have past there.'

Saying that, Yuuri lead Wolfram to the bathroom.

'Bye Yuu-chan, Wolf-chan,' said Miko.

'Bye,' said Shoma.

'We'll try to come soon,' said Yuuri, filling the bath. When it was full, they jumped in, and were gone.

'Do you think things will work out fine, winner?' asked Miko, looking worried.

'I'm sure of it.'

--

The Demon Kingdom –

Yuuri got up, his hair dripping wet, from the fountain in Shinou's Temple. Conrad and Ken were there to receive them.

'There you are, Your Majesty,' said Conrad, 'and Wolfram.'

'Only two days have passed,' said Ken, and then added with a grin, 'so you don't have too much of paperwork this time.'

'That's good,' said Yuuri, 'but why did you send us there?'

'You sent yourself, Shibuya,' said Ken, 'we didn't have anything to do with it. You probably don't have proper control over your powers yet.'

'I'll have to work on mastering them, then' said Yuuri.

'Should we head back to the castle?' asked Wolfram.

'Yes,' said Conrad, handing them both towels, 'everyone is waiting.'

Yuuri glimpsed a shadow near one of the pillars, but it disappeared as soon as it had come. Yuuri blinked, coming to the conclusion that he had imagined it. Drying his hair, he headed back to the main castle, with Wolfram and Ken on either side.

'So, are there any new developments?' he asked Gwendal on reaching the castle.

'The King of Zoracia just joined the Great Demon Kingdom Alliance,' said Gwendal, 'that is all.'

'Oh, alright,' said Yuuri, 'hi there, Greta!'

'Yuuri! Wolfram!' screamed Greta, rushing from the doors to meet them. Celi followed her. Yuuri kneeled and spread out his arms and folded the running girl into his arms. She looked up, still holding onto his shoulders, and flashed him a dazzling smile.

'How have you been, Greta?' asked Wolfram, as Greta came to him.

'Great!' she said, 'how was Earth? What did you do there?'

'We did a lot of things,' said Wolfram, 'I'll tell you about them later.'

Greta nodded, content in seeing her fathers again.

'Did anything else happen?' asked Yuuri, dragging Conrad aside and giving him meaningful look.

'No, there were no more letters, Your Majesty,' said Conrad, doing his best to hide his smile.

Wolfram overheard them He looked at them curiously, wondering why Yuuri would be bothered about the letters. Conrad's smile widened as he turned to him, a strange glint in his eye.

'Wolf,' said Celi, 'it's good to see you back, the trip was so unexpected. Your soldiers were trained by Conrad, so don't worry about that.'

'It's good to see you too, Mother,' said Wolfram, nodding his gratefulness to Conrad. The door opened once again, and the rest of the castle came in – Anissina, Giesela, Gunter, Hube and Nicola, who was carrying Eru. Following them were the maids, along with Docascas.

'This is a warm welcome,' commented Yuuri, 'Eru has grown since we last saw her!'

'She has,' Wolfram agreed.

It was the middle of the day, and the room was bathed with sunlight, which entered the room in thick beams through large windows. Birds fluttered against the azure sky, as the leaves danced in the light breeze. All the birds were either grey or black, with the exception of one. It glowed white against the sky and stood out from the rest. It was smaller than the others and was heading in a completely different direction – towards the castle. Nobody noticed it till it flew into the room.

Wolfram recognized it instantly. The colour flew from his face. Beside him, Yuuri stiffened. It dropped the letter near Wolfram's feet. Under the gaze of everyone present in the room, Wolfram made to pick it up.

Yuuri moved forward. Celi noticed his determined gaze. She giggled under her breath, and decided to add fuel to the fire.

'Wolfram, you should really answer this man, now' she said, 'he seems determined. And who know, he might be very handsome.'

This made Yuuri stiffen even further.

This is the right moment, he thought, if not now, then when? I know this is the moment – I feel it.

'Wolfram,' he said commandingly, 'get up.'

Wolfram paused, and stood up, facing Yuuri. Yuuri was his King, and that sounded like an order. Then, to his amazement, he felt a hand hit his cheek. It stung, but that was lost on him. All he could feel was Yuuri's gaze. It was full of all that he had ever wanted from Yuuri – love – unconditional and pure. He felt tears sting the back of his eyes for the third time in forty-eight hours. But this time, they were tears of happiness.

Is this a dream?

Yuuri looked at Wolfram's shocked expression as their eyes met, and for a moment thought that Wolfram would reject him. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

'Wolfram von Bielfelt,' said the twenty-seventh King of the Great Demon Kingdom, 'will you marry me?'

Wolfram didn't know what to say. He was afraid of waking up any moment now and finding Yuuri avoiding him again. More out of instinct than actual thought, he kneeled down on one leg and took out the ring that was buried deep in his black jeans. He opened it and offered it to Yuuri, trying to remember what Shori had said.

'Yuuri Shibuya,' he said, 'will you marry me?'

For a moment, Yuuri was dumbstruck. He looked at the ring – it was beautiful. He then looked up at Wolfram's earnest face, his hopeful green eyes and pink lips. He felt like he couldn't get any happier.

He then did what he had been fantasizing about for two days. He grabbed Wolfram by the collar of his own shirt and dragged him up and wrapped his arms around him. He then pressed his lips against those pink ones that had never left his mind ever since he heard about the letter. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the soft feel of Wolfram's lips, savouring the sweet sugary flavor that they had… he tightened his hold on the blonde, never wanting to let go.

Wolfram was in paradise. He knew it. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up. He wished he could stay forever in those arms. He relished the feel of the tongue exploring his mouth, and he knew that all his desires had been fulfilled. For the first time in his life, Wolfram was content.

This isn't a dream, he thought, delirious with happiness, it wouldn't be this good if this were my imagination.

They finally broke apart, gasping for breath.

'I accept,' they both said at the same time.

'Well, wasn't that a violent display of love,' said Celi, looking at their flushed faces.

They both blushed deeper as they registered their surroundings. Everyone was grinning, and even Gwendal managed a lopsided smile. Greta screamed with joy and she launched herself into her fathers' arms.

'That sorts out a lot of things,' said Ken, 'now how about the wedding? I suggest we invite Mama-san over for the planning – she'd hate to be left out.'

'Wait,' said Yuuri, 'what about the letter-writer?'

Ken's grin widened, 'There was no letter writer.'

'What?' asked Yuuri, 'but I saw it – when we were stuck in that room. It's right here!' He pointed at the letter on the floor.

'You misunderstand, Your Majesty,' said Conrad, 'he means that Wolfram had no admirer. The letters were a device to prompt you into action.'

'What?' said Wolfram, 'are our reactions really that predictable?'

'Whose idea was it?' asked Yuuri. He looked at Ken, 'it was yours, wasn't it? And how many of you were in?'

'Just Conrad, Ulrike, and I,' said Ken, 'and Lady Celi found out yesterday. And it wasn't my plan Shibuya, though I would like to take credit for this ingenious idea Greta thought of.'

'Me?' asked Greta, confused, 'I didn't do anything!'

'Technically, it wasn't you,' said Ken, 'there was time-traveling involved. The Greta I speak of is fifteen years old.'

'Time-traveling?' asked Wolfram.

'Greta along with two young men came here four days ago with the help of Anissina's time-machine.'

'I manage to create one?' asked Anissina, 'my plan is going to be a success?'

'You seem surprised,' commented Gwendal.

'I am not,' said Anissina, 'just pleased.'

'So Greta doesn't grow up to be a single woman?' asked Yuuri sadly.

'No,' said Ken, smiling, 'but he comes only three years later.'

'And who is the third?' asked Wolfram.

'I daresay you'll find out in a few months,' said Ken, his glasses flashing. Everyone knew it was of no use trying to coax the identity of the third person from Ken, he wasn't going to tell them.

'But what if they hadn't come?' asked Gunter.

'Things would have still worked themselves out,' explained Ken, 'the ultimate result would be the same – Yuuri would have married Wolfram, but it probably would have happened a few years later.'

'Then why did they come?' asked Gwendal.

'Greta wanted her companions to see your union first-hand,' said Ken, 'and now how about planning the wedding?'

--

Outside, three teenagers crouched below the window, watching the scene unfold before them.

'Well, that was a happy ending,' said Maximilian, Greta's adoptive brother, 'I'll be adopted in a few months, right?'

Greta nodded.

'It's weird seeing this, you know,' she said, 'I remember this happening.'

'This was very interesting,' said Albert, 'now shouldn't we be going back to our own time? Your fathers probably know where we are, but we should still try not to make them worry too much. I'll be the one in trouble if the thought of you somehow getting hurt enters their minds.'

Greta smiled at him and then admitted, 'That's true.'

'Yeah,' said Max.

--

Later that day –

Yuuri took Wolfram's hand, as he led them to, as he was delighted to think, their room. The bed would be so much warmer with both of them in it. He smiled dreamily at the thought.

'I got a letter from mom today,' said Yuuri, 'they've moved in with Shori.'

'That's good to hear,' said Wolfram.

'They must be so happy,' said Yuuri.

'Are they coming here to discuss the wedding?'

'Yeah, they're coming in a week,' said Yuuri, 'so Celi postponed her cruise.'

He paused outside the door and turned around to face Wolfram.

'Look,' he said, 'I know I've a complete idiot – '

'And a wimp to boot,' added Wolfram, smirking.

'Yeah,' admitted Yuuri, 'so I'll understand if you don't want to – '

'Honestly Yuuri, what do I have to do to prove that I love you?'

'I have quite a few things in mind,' said Yuuri softly, leaning forward and kissing him again. He pushed him against the door, which slid open, revealing a spacious room with a bed with a huge canopy.

'I missed being here,' said Wolfram.

'I know,' said Yuuri, 'I missed you being here.'

Yuuri forgot for a moment about all his problems – being the King of a country, the troubles regarding Big Cimaron, school back on Earth… they all seemed so insignificant now. He knew that even if one of them did strike, it would all be okay, because he had his love by his side. And he knew that if Wolfram was with him, nothing could ever hurt him.

A/N – READ THIS!

It's over. I can barely believe it.

I have a very good reason for updating late. My computer had a virus. So all the software had to be cleared, and I didn't have access to any computer for a week. And when I did get it back, it lacked the software that connects it to the internet. So I wrote this chapter on the internet-less computer, hoping it would be connected to the web later on. I found out three days later that the internet was going to be installed in the desktop, not the laptop, where I had done all the work. So I had to copy out the whole thing into the desktop. I couldn't use a CD because I didn't have one. It took me two whole days to rewrite it, since I can only write during the afternoons. So it therefore took two weeks to get it out. I apologize even though I couldn't really have done anything. I made this chapter longer, so I hope it compensates for the lateness.

And thanks so much if you stuck with this so far. Thank you for reading this, even if you hated it with all your heart. Thank you if you are reading this today after you saw it was complete. Thank you, most of all, if you reviewed. And sorry if I messed up the last part and the plot was a letdown for you.

I'm sorry, there's not going to be an epilogue for this fic. I've thought about it, and I've tried many, many times to write one, but I just can't. I've no idea what to write in it, because I can't write a wedding scene. It comes out all horrid. And I definitely can't write lime or lemon. I'm really, really sorry.

Thank you to all my reviewers, who have made this story so amazing to write. I doubt I'll be writing any stories till the April of 2010, when my boards get over.

Anyway, thanks, for everything.