FIC: TAATS Chapter 8: The Man Behind the Mask
Title: The Admirer and the Sage (Chapter 8: The Man Behind the Mask)
Author: Batty_Gal a.k.a Tetra26
Rating: T+
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou
Pairing: Wolfram x Murata
Word Count: 1444
Fic Type: Ongoing
Summary: Wolfram and Murata have a heart to heart talk.
Prior chapters: 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7
Chapter 8: The Man Behind the Mask
The two men reached the garden and sat on a bench. For a few moments, they simply looked out at their surroundings. The silence between them was comfortable; Wolfram simply waited for Murata to break it when he was ready to.
After a few more moments of serenity, Murata started to speak.
“Has your, um... admirer bothered you lately?” the Sage asked quietly.
“Not in over a month, Sage,” Wolfram replied, gently. He decided to play it cool so that the Sage would feel free to open up to him.
“Oh,” the black-haired young man simply said, and fell silent once more.
Wolfram didn't push him; he figured that the Sage would say what he needed to in due time. They slipped back into silence for a few moments more. Wolfram could tell that Murata was debating with himself on whether to discuss something, and wondered if he remembered anything about being the masked man. He braced himself for whatever was to come - and knew that if the Sage did remember everything, things between them might never be the same again.
“Wolfram... I've been having blackouts,” Murata said.
“Blackouts?”
“Yes. Ever since I fell, I've been having these weird blackouts. I'll be one place, and before I know it I'm in another without any explanation or memory of what happened. I've also lost hours at a time where I don't remember doing anything at all.”
Wolfram decided not to interrupt him, and simply looked at him and nodded for him to go on. He watched as the expression on Murata's face went from pensive to dreading.
“Furthermore, these blackouts have been occurring around the times that masked man has been running around,” he said, softly. “Wolfram, I think I'm the masked man.”
Wolfram's chest tightened at the vulnerable look on the Sage's face. He knew it took a lot for Murata, of all people, to open up to anybody. He also understood how much it meant for the man to be so straightforward with him, considering the Sage thought he could have potentially been the one harassing him.
“What makes you so sure it's you?” Wolfram asked in a neutral voice. He wanted to simply tell Murata that everything would be alright, but the Sage was too intelligent; he would see right through him if he immediately 'forgave' him without any questions about the situation.
“It's several things,” the other man replied. “The times he was reported running around that correspond with a good amount of the hours I lost. The clothing you described. The knowledge of secret pathways long forgotten. The mask. Also, the description of the accent that you gave.”
“Even so, that doesn't mean it was you,” Wolfram said, attempting to give the other man an out.
“Yes, but there's something that almost cinches everything,” he said, sadly.
“What is that?”
“I haven't had a blackout since the masked man stopped appearing.”
Wolfram looked at the Sage, who looked as if he was gathering the courage to say something else. He realized that while Murata didn't remember what he had done while he was the masked man, he was aware that he was the masked man. Wolfram decided, right then and there, that he would never tell Murata all of what happened between them during his blackouts - not as long as the man had no memories of them.
“Wolfram, I'm sorry. For everything. I would have never done anything to harm you on purpose...”
“Sage, it's alright. It's fine. If it was you, you weren't doing it on your own will...”
“But I've done so many things to you, to the others. When they find out...”
“They'll never find out, because we'll keep this between us,” Wolfram said, with determination. “Even if they did find out somehow, they would be alright with it considering that you weren't in your right mind.”
“Wolfram...” the black-haired young man said.
“The only reason I don't want anyone to find out that you might have been the masked man is that Gwendal won't take too kindly to it,” Wolfram said.
Wolfram watched Murata visibly shudder at the idea of Gwendal finding out that he may have been the one that did those things to his beloved knitted animals. “Yes, I see where you're coming from.”
They lapsed into silence again, both contemplating the conversation that had just taken place. After a minute or two, Murata spoke up again.
“Wolfram, how can you be so comfortable with what I've just told you? I was certain that you'd be upset,” the Sage said, quietly.
“If you had been doing it on purpose, then yes, I may have been upset. But whoever it was that had been harassing me wasn't you. He may have used your body, but it wasn't you. Besides, you're straightforward with your perversions, and wouldn't bother with a mask and costume to sexually harass me,” Wolfram said, his last sentence an attempt to lighten the mood.
It worked. Wolfram heard Murata laugh for the first time since their conversation started, and couldn't help but join him in his mirth. The two laughed together for a good minute.
“Wolfram... don't ever change. Just... don't,” Murata said through his laughter.
“I don't intend to, Sage” the blond said with a smirk.
“I wish you would call me Murata - or even Ken - more. We've known each other for quite some time, and we're close enough that “Sage” seems so formal.”
Wolfram was touched. It was one of many times that day that Murata had reached out to him. “Alright... Murata.”
Murata nodded at his usage of his current family name.
“Thank you for confiding in me,” Wolfram said, suddenly. He hadn't wanted to make the conversation go serious again, but he thought it was important that Murata know how much he appreciated his effort. “I know how you like to keep things to yourself sometimes, and considering the circumstance behind this, I'm touched.”
The Sage looked at him and smiled. “Thank you for being so understanding,” he said, and Wolfram could read so much in those few words and the expression of relief on Murata's face.
Wolfram nodded, and smiled back at the other man. They sat in silence for a few moments.
“Say... Murata. Was the masked man someone you used to be?” Wolfram asked. Right after he said those words, he remembered where he had heard the man's accent before. When he had taken care of Murata after he fell, it was one of many he used during his nightmares. He decided not to bring that up to the Sage, however.
“I'm not sure, Wolfram. It may have been someone I once was, or maybe even someone I pretended to be. After all, I was a stage actor in a couple of my lifetimes.”
Wolfram was intrigued by those former lifetimes of Murata's. “Tell me about it,” he said, and quickly added “if you wish” upon remembering how the Sage didn't like to talk about his former lifetimes.
Murata looked at Wolfram thoughtfully. “Okay,” he said, and launched into his tale.
Wolfram listened, completely enraptured by Murata's tale of those particular lifetimes of his. He was fascinated at the details, and laughed when the Sage told him about all the mishaps behind - and on - the stage.
Murata's tale about his role on stage led into a discussion about the various tales of masked men on Earth, and Wolfram found himself amazed at all of the masked men that Murata mentioned. He especially loved the concept of “Super Heroes”, as the Sage called them, and was excited when Murata promised to bring some things back from Earth to show him about them.
Before long, the sun started to set, and neither of the men could believe that they had held a discussion with each other alone for several hours. They wrapped up their conversation with promises to hang out with each other like that again often, and parted ways - each thinking about the other in a new light.
Both men felt a shift in their relationship towards promising things.
Author's Note: That's it for this chapter! Though it's not the end of the fic, it's the end of the “Admirer Arc”, as I like to call it. The rest of this fic is essentially a part II (the “Sage Arc”) that deals with Wolfram and Murata's budding relationship. Next chapter is a “bridge” chapter to the next arc - and deals with the year that passes after the Admirer incident.
Next Chapter: 9
Author: Batty_Gal a.k.a Tetra26
Rating: T+
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou
Pairing: Wolfram x Murata
Word Count: 1444
Fic Type: Ongoing
Summary: Wolfram and Murata have a heart to heart talk.
Prior chapters: 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7
Chapter 8: The Man Behind the Mask
The two men reached the garden and sat on a bench. For a few moments, they simply looked out at their surroundings. The silence between them was comfortable; Wolfram simply waited for Murata to break it when he was ready to.
After a few more moments of serenity, Murata started to speak.
“Has your, um... admirer bothered you lately?” the Sage asked quietly.
“Not in over a month, Sage,” Wolfram replied, gently. He decided to play it cool so that the Sage would feel free to open up to him.
“Oh,” the black-haired young man simply said, and fell silent once more.
Wolfram didn't push him; he figured that the Sage would say what he needed to in due time. They slipped back into silence for a few moments more. Wolfram could tell that Murata was debating with himself on whether to discuss something, and wondered if he remembered anything about being the masked man. He braced himself for whatever was to come - and knew that if the Sage did remember everything, things between them might never be the same again.
“Wolfram... I've been having blackouts,” Murata said.
“Blackouts?”
“Yes. Ever since I fell, I've been having these weird blackouts. I'll be one place, and before I know it I'm in another without any explanation or memory of what happened. I've also lost hours at a time where I don't remember doing anything at all.”
Wolfram decided not to interrupt him, and simply looked at him and nodded for him to go on. He watched as the expression on Murata's face went from pensive to dreading.
“Furthermore, these blackouts have been occurring around the times that masked man has been running around,” he said, softly. “Wolfram, I think I'm the masked man.”
Wolfram's chest tightened at the vulnerable look on the Sage's face. He knew it took a lot for Murata, of all people, to open up to anybody. He also understood how much it meant for the man to be so straightforward with him, considering the Sage thought he could have potentially been the one harassing him.
“What makes you so sure it's you?” Wolfram asked in a neutral voice. He wanted to simply tell Murata that everything would be alright, but the Sage was too intelligent; he would see right through him if he immediately 'forgave' him without any questions about the situation.
“It's several things,” the other man replied. “The times he was reported running around that correspond with a good amount of the hours I lost. The clothing you described. The knowledge of secret pathways long forgotten. The mask. Also, the description of the accent that you gave.”
“Even so, that doesn't mean it was you,” Wolfram said, attempting to give the other man an out.
“Yes, but there's something that almost cinches everything,” he said, sadly.
“What is that?”
“I haven't had a blackout since the masked man stopped appearing.”
Wolfram looked at the Sage, who looked as if he was gathering the courage to say something else. He realized that while Murata didn't remember what he had done while he was the masked man, he was aware that he was the masked man. Wolfram decided, right then and there, that he would never tell Murata all of what happened between them during his blackouts - not as long as the man had no memories of them.
“Wolfram, I'm sorry. For everything. I would have never done anything to harm you on purpose...”
“Sage, it's alright. It's fine. If it was you, you weren't doing it on your own will...”
“But I've done so many things to you, to the others. When they find out...”
“They'll never find out, because we'll keep this between us,” Wolfram said, with determination. “Even if they did find out somehow, they would be alright with it considering that you weren't in your right mind.”
“Wolfram...” the black-haired young man said.
“The only reason I don't want anyone to find out that you might have been the masked man is that Gwendal won't take too kindly to it,” Wolfram said.
Wolfram watched Murata visibly shudder at the idea of Gwendal finding out that he may have been the one that did those things to his beloved knitted animals. “Yes, I see where you're coming from.”
They lapsed into silence again, both contemplating the conversation that had just taken place. After a minute or two, Murata spoke up again.
“Wolfram, how can you be so comfortable with what I've just told you? I was certain that you'd be upset,” the Sage said, quietly.
“If you had been doing it on purpose, then yes, I may have been upset. But whoever it was that had been harassing me wasn't you. He may have used your body, but it wasn't you. Besides, you're straightforward with your perversions, and wouldn't bother with a mask and costume to sexually harass me,” Wolfram said, his last sentence an attempt to lighten the mood.
It worked. Wolfram heard Murata laugh for the first time since their conversation started, and couldn't help but join him in his mirth. The two laughed together for a good minute.
“Wolfram... don't ever change. Just... don't,” Murata said through his laughter.
“I don't intend to, Sage” the blond said with a smirk.
“I wish you would call me Murata - or even Ken - more. We've known each other for quite some time, and we're close enough that “Sage” seems so formal.”
Wolfram was touched. It was one of many times that day that Murata had reached out to him. “Alright... Murata.”
Murata nodded at his usage of his current family name.
“Thank you for confiding in me,” Wolfram said, suddenly. He hadn't wanted to make the conversation go serious again, but he thought it was important that Murata know how much he appreciated his effort. “I know how you like to keep things to yourself sometimes, and considering the circumstance behind this, I'm touched.”
The Sage looked at him and smiled. “Thank you for being so understanding,” he said, and Wolfram could read so much in those few words and the expression of relief on Murata's face.
Wolfram nodded, and smiled back at the other man. They sat in silence for a few moments.
“Say... Murata. Was the masked man someone you used to be?” Wolfram asked. Right after he said those words, he remembered where he had heard the man's accent before. When he had taken care of Murata after he fell, it was one of many he used during his nightmares. He decided not to bring that up to the Sage, however.
“I'm not sure, Wolfram. It may have been someone I once was, or maybe even someone I pretended to be. After all, I was a stage actor in a couple of my lifetimes.”
Wolfram was intrigued by those former lifetimes of Murata's. “Tell me about it,” he said, and quickly added “if you wish” upon remembering how the Sage didn't like to talk about his former lifetimes.
Murata looked at Wolfram thoughtfully. “Okay,” he said, and launched into his tale.
Wolfram listened, completely enraptured by Murata's tale of those particular lifetimes of his. He was fascinated at the details, and laughed when the Sage told him about all the mishaps behind - and on - the stage.
Murata's tale about his role on stage led into a discussion about the various tales of masked men on Earth, and Wolfram found himself amazed at all of the masked men that Murata mentioned. He especially loved the concept of “Super Heroes”, as the Sage called them, and was excited when Murata promised to bring some things back from Earth to show him about them.
Before long, the sun started to set, and neither of the men could believe that they had held a discussion with each other alone for several hours. They wrapped up their conversation with promises to hang out with each other like that again often, and parted ways - each thinking about the other in a new light.
Both men felt a shift in their relationship towards promising things.
Author's Note: That's it for this chapter! Though it's not the end of the fic, it's the end of the “Admirer Arc”, as I like to call it. The rest of this fic is essentially a part II (the “Sage Arc”) that deals with Wolfram and Murata's budding relationship. Next chapter is a “bridge” chapter to the next arc - and deals with the year that passes after the Admirer incident.
Next Chapter: 9