FIC: Murata is the Devil
Title: Murata is the Devil
Author: batty_gal/Tetra26
Rating: T
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou
Pairing: Wolfram/Yuuri; Shinou/Daikenja; Others mentioned
Word Count: 3431
Fic Type: Humor; Romance
Warnings: None
Summary: Yuuri muses about the "potential relationships" that his friends could be having, while Murata thinks he's an absolute idiot and decides to play Devil's Advocate to help Yuuri with his own "potential relationship" with Wolfram. Set over three years after the initial engagement between Wolfram and Yuuri.
Murata Ken walked down the long corridor of Blood Pledge Castle, and turned the corner. He was surprised to see his friend, Shibuya Yuuri, looking down at the courtyard below with a scowl on his face.
He casually strode up to Yuuri, and stood beside him. "Something wrong, Shibuya?" he asked.
"Um.. nothing is wrong. I was just lost in my own thoughts," Yuuri said.
"Hmm... what are you thinking about? It seems whatever you're thinking about is bothering you a lot," the Great Sage asked.
Yuuri sighed, but the scowl did not leave his face. "I was just wondering why people won't tell others what they truly feel around here."
Murata looked at his friend with a questioning expression. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, several of our friends are obviously in love with each other, but none of them realizes that the other loves them back," the Maou said, and sighed again. "There are so many potential relationships that could be fulfilled if people would just speak up."
Murata gave a strong sideways look at Yuuri. I know that he, of all people, is not saying this to me. This has to be a dream, he thought. He pinched himself hard to make sure.
"Ow!" he howled out.
"What's wrong, Murata?" Yuuri asked, giving him a concerned look.
"Oh nothing, I just stuck myself by mistake! Please, expand on what you were saying," Murata replied, absentmindedly rubbing where he had pinched himself. So this isn't a dream. Shibuya really said that! Him, of all people! I'll play along though just to see what has gotten into him, he thought.
"Well, for instance, take Gwendal," Yuuri said, pointing towards the sullen looking man leaning against a stone column down in the courtyard. "See how hard he's staring at Günter?" he asked as he pointed towards Günter, who was animatedly engaged in a conversation with Gisela. "The man has it bad for him!"
"Um..." Murata was cut off.
"I mean, every time Günter runs up to hug on me, Gwendal looks at me like he wants to destroy me," Yuuri said as he visibly shuddered.
"Shibuya..." Murata started again.
"And Günter? Even though he flails about all over me, I can tell that he has a thing for Gwendal as well."
"But they..." Murata was again cut off.
"The other day, Gwendal was talking to one of the soldiers and actually smiled. I've never seen Günter frown so hard. I thought he was going to go over there and challenge the other man to a duel!"
"Shibuya..." Murata tried again, but failed to get the other man's attention.
"And look at Conrad and Yozak!" Yuuri said, pointing towards the two men. They were chatting and smiling at each other in the courtyard. "Every time one of them turns away, the other gives them such a longing look..." Yuuri trailed off.
Murata sighed as Yuuri continued.
"And then there's Dakoskos and Gisela..." Yuuri started.
Murata listened as his friend rattled on, and came to the conclusion that while Yuuri was an idiot, he wasn't an absolute idiot. Sure, it took Yuuri forever to realize things that Murata had caught on to years ago, but at least he had finally started to open his eyes more and truly look at his surroundings. At least Yuuri had come to some conclusions, as late and incomplete as they might be.
Murata continued to listen as Yuuri launched into a tirade about Anissina and Doria's secret love for each other, and realized something about his friend. Yuuri had brought up several same-sex couples without going into how "wrong" he found that type of relationship to be. So, along the way towards this 'enlightenment' of his, he's finally gotten over his issues with homosexual love, the Great Sage thought as he started to smirk. Maybe there's hope for you yet, Shibuya.
"And Sangria and Lasagna were practically undressing each other with their eyes this morning!" Yuuri exclaimed as he wrapped up his rant. "Man, I wish there was something I could do to bring them all together," he said, sadly.
Murata once again looked over at his friend. Shibuya really looks concerned. He actually wants to see these people happy with one another, he thought. He was about to speak up and console his friend, but then looked down at the golden-haired young man below that was engaged in swordplay with one of his soldiers.
Wolfram... Shibuya didn't mention Wolfram at all, he thought. If he has come to these understandings about the others, maybe he realizes now how much Wolfram loves him. Could it be possible that he finally returns Wolfram's feelings, and his rant today is a reflection of that? Murata thought.
An idea to test that theory, a delightfully evil idea at that, came to Murata's mind. He looked over to his melancholy friend, and started to speak.
"And Wolfram? What about his potential relationship?" Murata said, matter-of-factly.
"Wolfram? He isn't even serious about me, " Yuuri said, offhandedly.
Damn, there goes half of that theory, thought Murata as he shook his head in disbelief. Yuuri immediately said what Murata hoped he wouldn't say. Yuuri, while coming to all of these conclusions about everyone else, still managed not to get it through his thick skull that Wolfram loves him. Still, he immediately assumed that's what I was referring to, so it would be a good idea to test the other half of that theory and see if he loves Wolfram, he thought.
Murata decided to be really evil. "I wasn't talking about his potential relationship with you, Shibuya." Murata was completely amused at the startled look that came across his friend's face.
"Then what potential relationship were you referring to, Murata?" Yuuri asked in a tiny voice.
Murata felt gleeful at the tone of the other man's voice. Ooooh, I've got him right where I want him... I'm going to fully enjoy this! he thought. He smiled at Yuuri innocently, and started to speak.
"What? In your assessments of all your other friends, you didn't observe Wolfram's potential relationship?" Murata had to prevent himself from laughing out loud at the indignant, suspicious look on Yuuri's face.
"What potential relationship of Wolfram's?" Yuuri asked again, this time in a voice that sounded quite dangerous.
Murata knew he was risking potential harm, but that wouldn't stop him from being devilish at all. Ah, so Yuuri does have a thing for Wolfram! Time to push some buttons! he thought.
"Well... take a look at that soldier Wolfram is sparring with," Murata said, as he pointed below towards Wolfram and a tall, young, coral-haired soldier with gray eyes. His timing couldn't have been better. The young soldier, at that moment, managed to parry one of Wolfram's more complex attacks, and Wolfram said something to him that made the young man blush and smile. Wolfram was also smiling back.
Murata saw Yuuri's mouth twitch downward, and noted that his fists were balled up tightly. He decided to continue his demonic assault on Yuuri's psyche.
"Every day, for the past week, Wolfram has devoted most of his training time to that young man," he said in his most happy-and-innocent voice. "I have never seen Wolfram smile at anyone as much as he has smiled at that young man." Murata intentionally failed to mention that Wolfram often smiles at any of his soldiers that he sees improving, not just that particular one. That Yuuri didn't know that small detail was his own fault for not observing Wolfram more, as far as he was concerned.
Murata watched Yuuri looking intently at the young men below. They had taken a short break, and were drinking from their water skins. The young soldier said something to Wolfram that made him drop his skin, hold his stomach, and double over with laughter. Murata was amused at how well this was fitting in with his sinister plan, and once again had to prevent himself from laughing out loud as he watched Yuuri's face contort in badly concealed jealousy.
Murata decided to strike Yuuri out. "Ah... to be young and in love," he said, wistfully.
Yuuri snapped his attention away from the two men and looked sharply at Murata. "What makes you think they're in love? After all, he's my fiancé," he said, indignantly.
Strike one, thought Murata. He actually referred to Wolfram as his fiancé! Time to go for strike two.
"Shibuya, since when do you take your engagement seriously?" Murata asked, innocently throwing out similar words that Yuuri had said about Wolfram's feelings for him earlier in their conversation.
"I didn't mean it like that!" Yuuri started to backpedal. He was blushing furiously.
Strike two, thought Murata. He knows he meant it like that or he wouldn't be blushing, plus he didn't even deny his engagement like he usually does.
"Then how did you mean it?" he asked.
"What I meant is, there's no way that Wolfram could be in love with that guy."
Murata was amused at how Yuuri neglected to answer his question about taking his engagement seriously, but played along instead of pointing it out. "Why not, Yuuri?"
"Well, because... because... Wolfram still sleeps with me! If he really has feelings for someone else, he wouldn't still be sleeping with me."
Ooh, he sounds sort of smug right there! Does he realize what he's saying and how it sounds? Murata thought. We'll see how smug he sounds when I strike him out, the Great Sage thought with glee.
Murata continued on. "Shibuya... he is still engaged to you. As long as he is engaged to you, he will do for you what a fiancé is expected to do," he said in a serious voice. "It's kind of sad though... he's putting his all into being your fiancé and you aren't even serious about him."
Yuuri looked shocked by his words. Murata decided to lay it on even thicker.
"I mean, have you seen the looks that Wolfram receive? Men, and women, openly drool over the man! He could have almost any person in this kingdom that he wants, but because he's engaged to you he doesn't give them the time of day. That's pitiful too, considering that you don't even like him like that."
Murata was enjoying his friend's discomfort too much, but even so he thought his words might actually help the other man act in breaking down the final barrier between him and Wolfram. Still, he couldn't help but to continue to enjoy himself before he stopped teasing Yuuri and started to dish out his "sagely advice".
"I mean, he's the most beautiful boy I've ever seen," he replied softly. For dramatic effect, he lightly put his right hand over his heart and looked down at Wolfram, wistfully. "If he wasn't engaged to you, I might have allowed myself to fully fall in love with him," he said softly. It was a blatant lie. Murata had never been interested in Wolfram like that, but he noticed that it had the effect he was looking for as he turned to look at his friend. Strike three!
Yuuri was staring, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, with a horrified expression at him. "Murata..." he started to say.
"However, as long as you are engaged to Wolfram, no one will be crazy enough to act on their feelings for him," he interrupted with a smile. "Not even that soldier, or me, or Alford, or Adelbert, or..."
"Alford? Adelbert? Them too?" Yuuri whined.
Murata allowed himself to lightly laugh out loud at Yuuri's exasperated facial expression. "I told you he was popular!" Those words were true, but neither Alford nor Adelbert had shown that much interest in Wolfram other than mentioning how beautiful the man was. Murata just threw that in to make Yuuri jealous.
"But it's not really legit if he's just going through the motions of being engaged for honor," the Maou said, softly.
Finally! The root of the problem, the Great Sage thought. So Shibuya has finally fallen for Wolfram, but he thinks that Wolfram only acts the way he does for honor and not because he truly loves him.
Murata decided, right then and there, that Yuuri was an absolute idiot after all. To stand and muse about the potential love affairs of others without realizing his own was beyond idiotic. He thought about withholding his "sagely advice" out of spite, but looking down at Wolfram again made him change his mind.
Wolfram... he thought. Murata had always pitied him due to Yuuri's constant rejections of his affection. It was obvious to everyone, except Yuuri, how much he loved the Maou. Wolfram had waited on Yuuri for three years even though Yuuri had constantly claimed there would be nothing between them. Now that Murata knew that Yuuri finally returned Wolfram's love, and was sure what the last barrier between Wolfram and Yuuri was, he decided to end his game with Yuuri and attempt to bring them together.
"Shibuya, Wolfram has shown you how much he loves you plenty of times," Murata said.
"How?" Yuuri asked, innocently.
Murata wanted to punch him in the face. How obtuse can he be? he thought.
"Well, Wolfram has put his life on the line for you countless of times-" he started.
"Only because I'm his king! Besides, he puts his life on the line for others as well, so that doesn't count," Yuuri interrupted, his voice unsure.
Murata tried again. "Shibuya, even though you yell at him about how it's wrong to love other men, he continues to dress in that ridiculous nightgown and sneak in your bed..."
"Wolfram says he does that to protect me, and I think he actually likes wearing that... thing," Yuuri responded.
"Two years ago, I overheard Wolfram telling his mother that he wishes you could see beyond his gender, and love him for who he is. He also said, however, that as long as you were uncomfortable with his manliness he would do his best to downplay it - even at the cost of his dignity."
Yuuri looked shocked. "I... I never knew that." The young Maou looked down at Wolfram, who had resumed practicing with the soldier.
Murata decided to move in for the kill. "Shibuya... Wolfram loves you, and he thinks that you still refuse to return the feeling. You love him, and you think that he isn't really serious about you," Yuuri started to squawk at the mention of him loving Wolfram, but Murata held his hand up. "Don't deny it anymore, and don't interrupt me this time!"
Murata glared at Yuuri, who shrank back and promptly closed his mouth. He continued. "Every last 'potential relationship' you've mentioned to me has elements of the relationship between you and Wolfram. Two people, who love each other and don't believe that the other returns their love. Two people, who get jealous when the other shows even the slightest interest in someone else. Two people, who look longingly at the other when their back is turned. Now you said you wished there was something you could do for those people you mentioned earlier, how about you start by making a move on Wolfram and fulfilling your own 'potential relationship'? Perhaps then they'll follow your lead?"
There. He had dished out his "sagely advice". He had done his good deed for the day. He started to walk off.
Before he could leave, Yuuri grabbed his arm. "But... what about that soldier that Wolfram is with? What if he has moved on because he thinks I still don't take him seriously?"
Murata rolled his eyes, but since the conversation had turned serious and he wanted Yuuri to take what he said to heart, he decided to confess.
"Shibuya... I was just pulling your chain. Wolfram smiles at all of his soldiers."
"What do you mean he smiles at all of his soldiers?" Yuuri blurted out.
Murata laughed. "Shibuya, I honestly was messing with you. Wolfram always smiles when he sees one of his soldiers improving."
"But you said that he's been spending all week with that one."
"He does that with all of his newer recruits. You really should observe your fiancé more. Besides, that soldier has a mate already. Do you see that silver-haired soldier over there glaring at Wolfram? That's his lover."
"Then... what about Alford and Adelbert? What about their feelings for Wolfram... does he return them?"
"Absolute lies. Neither of them have expressed interest in Wolfram and vice versa."
"What about... you?" the Maou asked, uncomfortably.
"I have no more interest in Wolfram as a potential love interest than I have in you as one," he replied.
"You wouldn't happen to actually be interested in..."
"Hell no."
"Then why did you yank my chain so much?" Yuuri asked, with a confused look on his face.
"To make you mad," Murata simply replied.
"Why the hell would you do all that just to make me mad?" Yuuri practically hollered.
"Because you're an idiot, and because I was bored," he said with an innocent smile. He found no need to let on that he wanted to help his friend more than anything. He also couldn't resist teasing Yuuri one last time.
Yuuri fumed. His outrage was clearly displayed on his face, and he started shaking. He had started to get anxious about Wolfram having feelings for someone else for nothing, all because Murata was bored and wanted to make fun of him. He clenched his fists, straightened up, and glared at the man that was supposed to be his friend.
"Murata... you are the Devil!" he said in his most indignant voice. Yuuri turned and stormed off.
Murata watched his friend stomp off and smiled, sinisterly. "I was aiming for the position of Devil's Advocate, not the Devil himself, but I'll accept that too," he said, smirking. He heard someone behind him laugh, lightly.
Murata chuckled and turned around. "I take it you were here the entire time and enjoyed the show, Shinou."
"Indeed. I was particularly amused by his rant about the unfulfilled love lives of his friends," Shinou said.
"So was I. I tried to tell him the truth about them, but he wouldn't let me edge a word in," the Great Sage replied.
"I'd like to see his face when he finds out that Gwendal and Günter have actually been together for almost ten years now..."
"Or that Conrad and Yozak have been lovers since the last war..."
"And Gisela and Dakoskos have been together for two years now..."
"While Anissina and Doria started seeing each other a few months ago..."
"And Sangria and Lasagna went out on their first date last week..."
Murata and Shinou looked at each other, shook their heads, and sighed.
"He really is an idiot," they said, simultaneously.
The next day, Murata stood in the same spot where he and Yuuri had discussed Yuuri's relationship with Wolfram, among other things. He looked down and noticed how wide Wolfram's smile was that day as he worked with the soldier from the day before. He looked over to the left and observed Yuuri sitting on a bench watching the two young men practice with an equally wide smile on his face, and started to grin as well.
Ah, so maybe they finally confessed their love for each other, Murata thought. That's one move in the right direction. He was about to move away from his spot until he saw Yuuri stand up.
Murata watched with a mix of shock and amusement as Yuuri limped across the courtyard towards the castle.
"Well I'll be damned," he said out loud. He heard Shinou laugh heartily behind him.
Murata turned towards his confidant and narrowed his eyes. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"
"No, not this time," the man said. The two men looked at each other and laughed.
"Well, at least he finally got it," Murata said as he looked away from Shinou and back down at Wolfram, who was watching his lover leave the courtyard with a look of sheer happiness.
"And even though he's an idiot, it didn't take him long to act on it after he got it, either," Shinou replied.
The two men looked meaningfully at each other.
"Don't say it," Shinou said.
"It took us over four thousand years..." Murata started.
"I was 'dead' for most of those," Shinou said.
"That's no excuse, you were aware of me and I of you," the Great Sage remarked.
They both sighed.
"We really are idiots," they said, together.
Author's Notes: This was the first fanfic I wrote for the KKM fandom. This is the edited version (edited Aug 30, 2010). Edits: removed many epithets (the blond, etc.).
Author: batty_gal/Tetra26
Rating: T
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou
Pairing: Wolfram/Yuuri; Shinou/Daikenja; Others mentioned
Word Count: 3431
Fic Type: Humor; Romance
Warnings: None
Summary: Yuuri muses about the "potential relationships" that his friends could be having, while Murata thinks he's an absolute idiot and decides to play Devil's Advocate to help Yuuri with his own "potential relationship" with Wolfram. Set over three years after the initial engagement between Wolfram and Yuuri.
Murata Ken walked down the long corridor of Blood Pledge Castle, and turned the corner. He was surprised to see his friend, Shibuya Yuuri, looking down at the courtyard below with a scowl on his face.
He casually strode up to Yuuri, and stood beside him. "Something wrong, Shibuya?" he asked.
"Um.. nothing is wrong. I was just lost in my own thoughts," Yuuri said.
"Hmm... what are you thinking about? It seems whatever you're thinking about is bothering you a lot," the Great Sage asked.
Yuuri sighed, but the scowl did not leave his face. "I was just wondering why people won't tell others what they truly feel around here."
Murata looked at his friend with a questioning expression. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, several of our friends are obviously in love with each other, but none of them realizes that the other loves them back," the Maou said, and sighed again. "There are so many potential relationships that could be fulfilled if people would just speak up."
Murata gave a strong sideways look at Yuuri. I know that he, of all people, is not saying this to me. This has to be a dream, he thought. He pinched himself hard to make sure.
"Ow!" he howled out.
"What's wrong, Murata?" Yuuri asked, giving him a concerned look.
"Oh nothing, I just stuck myself by mistake! Please, expand on what you were saying," Murata replied, absentmindedly rubbing where he had pinched himself. So this isn't a dream. Shibuya really said that! Him, of all people! I'll play along though just to see what has gotten into him, he thought.
"Well, for instance, take Gwendal," Yuuri said, pointing towards the sullen looking man leaning against a stone column down in the courtyard. "See how hard he's staring at Günter?" he asked as he pointed towards Günter, who was animatedly engaged in a conversation with Gisela. "The man has it bad for him!"
"Um..." Murata was cut off.
"I mean, every time Günter runs up to hug on me, Gwendal looks at me like he wants to destroy me," Yuuri said as he visibly shuddered.
"Shibuya..." Murata started again.
"And Günter? Even though he flails about all over me, I can tell that he has a thing for Gwendal as well."
"But they..." Murata was again cut off.
"The other day, Gwendal was talking to one of the soldiers and actually smiled. I've never seen Günter frown so hard. I thought he was going to go over there and challenge the other man to a duel!"
"Shibuya..." Murata tried again, but failed to get the other man's attention.
"And look at Conrad and Yozak!" Yuuri said, pointing towards the two men. They were chatting and smiling at each other in the courtyard. "Every time one of them turns away, the other gives them such a longing look..." Yuuri trailed off.
Murata sighed as Yuuri continued.
"And then there's Dakoskos and Gisela..." Yuuri started.
Murata listened as his friend rattled on, and came to the conclusion that while Yuuri was an idiot, he wasn't an absolute idiot. Sure, it took Yuuri forever to realize things that Murata had caught on to years ago, but at least he had finally started to open his eyes more and truly look at his surroundings. At least Yuuri had come to some conclusions, as late and incomplete as they might be.
Murata continued to listen as Yuuri launched into a tirade about Anissina and Doria's secret love for each other, and realized something about his friend. Yuuri had brought up several same-sex couples without going into how "wrong" he found that type of relationship to be. So, along the way towards this 'enlightenment' of his, he's finally gotten over his issues with homosexual love, the Great Sage thought as he started to smirk. Maybe there's hope for you yet, Shibuya.
"And Sangria and Lasagna were practically undressing each other with their eyes this morning!" Yuuri exclaimed as he wrapped up his rant. "Man, I wish there was something I could do to bring them all together," he said, sadly.
Murata once again looked over at his friend. Shibuya really looks concerned. He actually wants to see these people happy with one another, he thought. He was about to speak up and console his friend, but then looked down at the golden-haired young man below that was engaged in swordplay with one of his soldiers.
Wolfram... Shibuya didn't mention Wolfram at all, he thought. If he has come to these understandings about the others, maybe he realizes now how much Wolfram loves him. Could it be possible that he finally returns Wolfram's feelings, and his rant today is a reflection of that? Murata thought.
An idea to test that theory, a delightfully evil idea at that, came to Murata's mind. He looked over to his melancholy friend, and started to speak.
"And Wolfram? What about his potential relationship?" Murata said, matter-of-factly.
"Wolfram? He isn't even serious about me, " Yuuri said, offhandedly.
Damn, there goes half of that theory, thought Murata as he shook his head in disbelief. Yuuri immediately said what Murata hoped he wouldn't say. Yuuri, while coming to all of these conclusions about everyone else, still managed not to get it through his thick skull that Wolfram loves him. Still, he immediately assumed that's what I was referring to, so it would be a good idea to test the other half of that theory and see if he loves Wolfram, he thought.
Murata decided to be really evil. "I wasn't talking about his potential relationship with you, Shibuya." Murata was completely amused at the startled look that came across his friend's face.
"Then what potential relationship were you referring to, Murata?" Yuuri asked in a tiny voice.
Murata felt gleeful at the tone of the other man's voice. Ooooh, I've got him right where I want him... I'm going to fully enjoy this! he thought. He smiled at Yuuri innocently, and started to speak.
"What? In your assessments of all your other friends, you didn't observe Wolfram's potential relationship?" Murata had to prevent himself from laughing out loud at the indignant, suspicious look on Yuuri's face.
"What potential relationship of Wolfram's?" Yuuri asked again, this time in a voice that sounded quite dangerous.
Murata knew he was risking potential harm, but that wouldn't stop him from being devilish at all. Ah, so Yuuri does have a thing for Wolfram! Time to push some buttons! he thought.
"Well... take a look at that soldier Wolfram is sparring with," Murata said, as he pointed below towards Wolfram and a tall, young, coral-haired soldier with gray eyes. His timing couldn't have been better. The young soldier, at that moment, managed to parry one of Wolfram's more complex attacks, and Wolfram said something to him that made the young man blush and smile. Wolfram was also smiling back.
Murata saw Yuuri's mouth twitch downward, and noted that his fists were balled up tightly. He decided to continue his demonic assault on Yuuri's psyche.
"Every day, for the past week, Wolfram has devoted most of his training time to that young man," he said in his most happy-and-innocent voice. "I have never seen Wolfram smile at anyone as much as he has smiled at that young man." Murata intentionally failed to mention that Wolfram often smiles at any of his soldiers that he sees improving, not just that particular one. That Yuuri didn't know that small detail was his own fault for not observing Wolfram more, as far as he was concerned.
Murata watched Yuuri looking intently at the young men below. They had taken a short break, and were drinking from their water skins. The young soldier said something to Wolfram that made him drop his skin, hold his stomach, and double over with laughter. Murata was amused at how well this was fitting in with his sinister plan, and once again had to prevent himself from laughing out loud as he watched Yuuri's face contort in badly concealed jealousy.
Murata decided to strike Yuuri out. "Ah... to be young and in love," he said, wistfully.
Yuuri snapped his attention away from the two men and looked sharply at Murata. "What makes you think they're in love? After all, he's my fiancé," he said, indignantly.
Strike one, thought Murata. He actually referred to Wolfram as his fiancé! Time to go for strike two.
"Shibuya, since when do you take your engagement seriously?" Murata asked, innocently throwing out similar words that Yuuri had said about Wolfram's feelings for him earlier in their conversation.
"I didn't mean it like that!" Yuuri started to backpedal. He was blushing furiously.
Strike two, thought Murata. He knows he meant it like that or he wouldn't be blushing, plus he didn't even deny his engagement like he usually does.
"Then how did you mean it?" he asked.
"What I meant is, there's no way that Wolfram could be in love with that guy."
Murata was amused at how Yuuri neglected to answer his question about taking his engagement seriously, but played along instead of pointing it out. "Why not, Yuuri?"
"Well, because... because... Wolfram still sleeps with me! If he really has feelings for someone else, he wouldn't still be sleeping with me."
Ooh, he sounds sort of smug right there! Does he realize what he's saying and how it sounds? Murata thought. We'll see how smug he sounds when I strike him out, the Great Sage thought with glee.
Murata continued on. "Shibuya... he is still engaged to you. As long as he is engaged to you, he will do for you what a fiancé is expected to do," he said in a serious voice. "It's kind of sad though... he's putting his all into being your fiancé and you aren't even serious about him."
Yuuri looked shocked by his words. Murata decided to lay it on even thicker.
"I mean, have you seen the looks that Wolfram receive? Men, and women, openly drool over the man! He could have almost any person in this kingdom that he wants, but because he's engaged to you he doesn't give them the time of day. That's pitiful too, considering that you don't even like him like that."
Murata was enjoying his friend's discomfort too much, but even so he thought his words might actually help the other man act in breaking down the final barrier between him and Wolfram. Still, he couldn't help but to continue to enjoy himself before he stopped teasing Yuuri and started to dish out his "sagely advice".
"I mean, he's the most beautiful boy I've ever seen," he replied softly. For dramatic effect, he lightly put his right hand over his heart and looked down at Wolfram, wistfully. "If he wasn't engaged to you, I might have allowed myself to fully fall in love with him," he said softly. It was a blatant lie. Murata had never been interested in Wolfram like that, but he noticed that it had the effect he was looking for as he turned to look at his friend. Strike three!
Yuuri was staring, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, with a horrified expression at him. "Murata..." he started to say.
"However, as long as you are engaged to Wolfram, no one will be crazy enough to act on their feelings for him," he interrupted with a smile. "Not even that soldier, or me, or Alford, or Adelbert, or..."
"Alford? Adelbert? Them too?" Yuuri whined.
Murata allowed himself to lightly laugh out loud at Yuuri's exasperated facial expression. "I told you he was popular!" Those words were true, but neither Alford nor Adelbert had shown that much interest in Wolfram other than mentioning how beautiful the man was. Murata just threw that in to make Yuuri jealous.
"But it's not really legit if he's just going through the motions of being engaged for honor," the Maou said, softly.
Finally! The root of the problem, the Great Sage thought. So Shibuya has finally fallen for Wolfram, but he thinks that Wolfram only acts the way he does for honor and not because he truly loves him.
Murata decided, right then and there, that Yuuri was an absolute idiot after all. To stand and muse about the potential love affairs of others without realizing his own was beyond idiotic. He thought about withholding his "sagely advice" out of spite, but looking down at Wolfram again made him change his mind.
Wolfram... he thought. Murata had always pitied him due to Yuuri's constant rejections of his affection. It was obvious to everyone, except Yuuri, how much he loved the Maou. Wolfram had waited on Yuuri for three years even though Yuuri had constantly claimed there would be nothing between them. Now that Murata knew that Yuuri finally returned Wolfram's love, and was sure what the last barrier between Wolfram and Yuuri was, he decided to end his game with Yuuri and attempt to bring them together.
"Shibuya, Wolfram has shown you how much he loves you plenty of times," Murata said.
"How?" Yuuri asked, innocently.
Murata wanted to punch him in the face. How obtuse can he be? he thought.
"Well, Wolfram has put his life on the line for you countless of times-" he started.
"Only because I'm his king! Besides, he puts his life on the line for others as well, so that doesn't count," Yuuri interrupted, his voice unsure.
Murata tried again. "Shibuya, even though you yell at him about how it's wrong to love other men, he continues to dress in that ridiculous nightgown and sneak in your bed..."
"Wolfram says he does that to protect me, and I think he actually likes wearing that... thing," Yuuri responded.
"Two years ago, I overheard Wolfram telling his mother that he wishes you could see beyond his gender, and love him for who he is. He also said, however, that as long as you were uncomfortable with his manliness he would do his best to downplay it - even at the cost of his dignity."
Yuuri looked shocked. "I... I never knew that." The young Maou looked down at Wolfram, who had resumed practicing with the soldier.
Murata decided to move in for the kill. "Shibuya... Wolfram loves you, and he thinks that you still refuse to return the feeling. You love him, and you think that he isn't really serious about you," Yuuri started to squawk at the mention of him loving Wolfram, but Murata held his hand up. "Don't deny it anymore, and don't interrupt me this time!"
Murata glared at Yuuri, who shrank back and promptly closed his mouth. He continued. "Every last 'potential relationship' you've mentioned to me has elements of the relationship between you and Wolfram. Two people, who love each other and don't believe that the other returns their love. Two people, who get jealous when the other shows even the slightest interest in someone else. Two people, who look longingly at the other when their back is turned. Now you said you wished there was something you could do for those people you mentioned earlier, how about you start by making a move on Wolfram and fulfilling your own 'potential relationship'? Perhaps then they'll follow your lead?"
There. He had dished out his "sagely advice". He had done his good deed for the day. He started to walk off.
Before he could leave, Yuuri grabbed his arm. "But... what about that soldier that Wolfram is with? What if he has moved on because he thinks I still don't take him seriously?"
Murata rolled his eyes, but since the conversation had turned serious and he wanted Yuuri to take what he said to heart, he decided to confess.
"Shibuya... I was just pulling your chain. Wolfram smiles at all of his soldiers."
"What do you mean he smiles at all of his soldiers?" Yuuri blurted out.
Murata laughed. "Shibuya, I honestly was messing with you. Wolfram always smiles when he sees one of his soldiers improving."
"But you said that he's been spending all week with that one."
"He does that with all of his newer recruits. You really should observe your fiancé more. Besides, that soldier has a mate already. Do you see that silver-haired soldier over there glaring at Wolfram? That's his lover."
"Then... what about Alford and Adelbert? What about their feelings for Wolfram... does he return them?"
"Absolute lies. Neither of them have expressed interest in Wolfram and vice versa."
"What about... you?" the Maou asked, uncomfortably.
"I have no more interest in Wolfram as a potential love interest than I have in you as one," he replied.
"You wouldn't happen to actually be interested in..."
"Hell no."
"Then why did you yank my chain so much?" Yuuri asked, with a confused look on his face.
"To make you mad," Murata simply replied.
"Why the hell would you do all that just to make me mad?" Yuuri practically hollered.
"Because you're an idiot, and because I was bored," he said with an innocent smile. He found no need to let on that he wanted to help his friend more than anything. He also couldn't resist teasing Yuuri one last time.
Yuuri fumed. His outrage was clearly displayed on his face, and he started shaking. He had started to get anxious about Wolfram having feelings for someone else for nothing, all because Murata was bored and wanted to make fun of him. He clenched his fists, straightened up, and glared at the man that was supposed to be his friend.
"Murata... you are the Devil!" he said in his most indignant voice. Yuuri turned and stormed off.
Murata watched his friend stomp off and smiled, sinisterly. "I was aiming for the position of Devil's Advocate, not the Devil himself, but I'll accept that too," he said, smirking. He heard someone behind him laugh, lightly.
Murata chuckled and turned around. "I take it you were here the entire time and enjoyed the show, Shinou."
"Indeed. I was particularly amused by his rant about the unfulfilled love lives of his friends," Shinou said.
"So was I. I tried to tell him the truth about them, but he wouldn't let me edge a word in," the Great Sage replied.
"I'd like to see his face when he finds out that Gwendal and Günter have actually been together for almost ten years now..."
"Or that Conrad and Yozak have been lovers since the last war..."
"And Gisela and Dakoskos have been together for two years now..."
"While Anissina and Doria started seeing each other a few months ago..."
"And Sangria and Lasagna went out on their first date last week..."
Murata and Shinou looked at each other, shook their heads, and sighed.
"He really is an idiot," they said, simultaneously.
The next day, Murata stood in the same spot where he and Yuuri had discussed Yuuri's relationship with Wolfram, among other things. He looked down and noticed how wide Wolfram's smile was that day as he worked with the soldier from the day before. He looked over to the left and observed Yuuri sitting on a bench watching the two young men practice with an equally wide smile on his face, and started to grin as well.
Ah, so maybe they finally confessed their love for each other, Murata thought. That's one move in the right direction. He was about to move away from his spot until he saw Yuuri stand up.
Murata watched with a mix of shock and amusement as Yuuri limped across the courtyard towards the castle.
"Well I'll be damned," he said out loud. He heard Shinou laugh heartily behind him.
Murata turned towards his confidant and narrowed his eyes. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"
"No, not this time," the man said. The two men looked at each other and laughed.
"Well, at least he finally got it," Murata said as he looked away from Shinou and back down at Wolfram, who was watching his lover leave the courtyard with a look of sheer happiness.
"And even though he's an idiot, it didn't take him long to act on it after he got it, either," Shinou replied.
The two men looked meaningfully at each other.
"Don't say it," Shinou said.
"It took us over four thousand years..." Murata started.
"I was 'dead' for most of those," Shinou said.
"That's no excuse, you were aware of me and I of you," the Great Sage remarked.
They both sighed.
"We really are idiots," they said, together.
Author's Notes: This was the first fanfic I wrote for the KKM fandom. This is the edited version (edited Aug 30, 2010). Edits: removed many epithets (the blond, etc.).