FIC: Into the Indefinite Sky : CH 15 (Yuuram, AU)
Okay this is later than I had planned it to be, but it the second to last completed chapter and I'm still working out the kinks in CH16. This is also the last BETAED chapter, because nekokatechan can't be on the net right now so I'm going solo. I'm also being VERY careful because of it.
Title: Into the Indefinite Sky
Author: S.P. Kathrine
Anime: Kyou Kara Maou
Genre: AU, Angst/Drama, Romance
Pairing: YuurixWolfram
Rating: M-MA (R-NC17)
Chapter: Chapter 15 15/ ???
Warnings: Angst, Non-Consensual Sexual themes (referenced/implied), AU, OOC Wolfram, possibly OOC everyone else, Mpreg, Non-'Flashback' Flashbacks.
Summary:
Wolf had spent his life believing that he was meant for servitude. His master was strict, and often cruel, but he never thought he could be anything more than what he was. One night changes everything and he is thrown into a world that he knows nothing about and given a life he never thought he could have. But a secret he keeps could only throw his life into further turmoil and not to mention the Demon King…
BETA: nekokatechan
Crossposted @: kkm_wolframfans
Other chapters found : here
Chapter 15 - Onward Home
As it turned out, Belal was nothing more than a puppet, controlled by the mystery man that was his ‘advisor’. After they had arrived to confront them, battling enchanted puppets throughout the compound, they had entered the Great Hall and found the king as nothing more than an emaciated doll himself, lying haphazardly upon his throne, eyes glazed and staring far off into nothing. It was a disgusting sight to witness.
Wolf had to hold back the inherent shudder he had felt at when he first laid eyes on the man. He had not even realized he was alive, so emaciated was his body and sallow was his skin. His clothes were dirty and an odor permeated through the room of which the blonde preferred not to find the origin.
Yuuri had stood up to him, although the man merely laughed. His mind was far too tainted by the power of the true mastermind, the mysterious stranger that had taken control so as to become his strategist and advisor. The Stranger had been powerful, in a dark, heavy way that left you feeling weighted and breathless just by being in his presence. At first, Wolf had even held a fear that Yuuri would not know what to do when the time came, if action over words became necessary.
Everything had come to a head when the Stranger had used his dark Majutsu to take over the bodies of Adelbert, Yosak, and Keenan -Adelbert’s second-in-command. It had put them at a disadvantage, because neither Yuuri nor Murata knew how to fight well and Wolfram was still a novice. He could barely fight off Keenan; the rather deep wound on his leg a testament to that.
But in the end, the Maou had saved them all. Yuuri had stared down von Grantz’s blade and was overcome by the bright blue pureness of his own maryoku, setting the three men free of the Stranger’s influence. He had then stood up to the man that had been the cause of all of their troubles, only to watch as he seemed to collapse into a puddle on the floor. He was gone. All that had been left behind were his clothes.
Now they were on a ship back to Shin Makoku to speak to Ulrike. Adelbert and Keenan had seen them off from the road that split between their two destinations. A small promise of sorts hanging in the air for their next meeting. For some reason, the way that von Grantz had spoken, seemed somewhat wistful and reminiscent, as if he was thinking about something else when he bade them farewell. He didn’t want to think about the way he felt his stomach clenched after seeing the understanding look between the older man and Yuuri. The look that said they spoke things to each other that no one else could hear.
And now they were only hours away from home, and he had been sent off to one of the rooms below deck, away from whatever conversation the others were having. It was obvious that he was not meant to be included and probably had only heard what Murata had spoken in Dai Shimaron because he had not thought about who all had been in the room at the time.
The boxes? He thought over what small amount of information he had gleaned. What do the boxes have to do with anything? He knew, even though no one had told him, exactly which boxes were being spoken of. He had known that something was different about the odd boxes sitting on the pedestal in the Shrine of the Original King after watching both Conrad and Gwendal. It seemed that everyone knew what was going on except him, and he found it hard ignore to the sense of isolation that truth brought.
“Are you getting seasick again?”
He had not even heard the door open. Shifting, he peaked his head over his shoulder so that he could see the boy that was standing in the doorway. “I think it has passed for now,” he replied.
“That’s good,” Yuuri stated with a smile. “It would suck if you were sick all the way home, too.”
“Is there something you needed, Your Majesty?” Wolf inquired, not in the mood for the Maou to act as shy and self-conscious as he usually did.
“No,” the raven-haired boy shook his head. “But I wanted to check on you and Conrad said that dinner would be ready soon.”
“As you can see,” the blonde pointed out in a semi-bored tone. “I am perfectly fine and I don’t think that I will be eating anything for the rest of the night. I would rather not aggravate the seasickness.”
“But we haven’t eaten anything since midmorning,” Yuuri protested. “It’s not good for people to skip meals.”
“I am fine, you wimp,” Wolf was not as kind with his retort.
“My name is Yuuri!” the boy-King frowned. “I keep telling you to call me by my name, but it’s always ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘wimp’. You’re worse than Conrad!”
“Conrad calls you that because he feels that he doesn’t deserve to call you by your name,” the blonde stated, turning his head away. “I call you that because that is what your are.”
“That doesn’t…Wait…What are you talking about?” Yuuri blinked in confusion. “Conrad doesn’t…”
“Yes, he does,” Wolfram replied with irritation. “Maybe you should go talk to him about it…get things settled and all?”
Even though it was obvious by his tone that Wolf just truly wanted to get rid of the other boy, Yuuri actually seemed to be thinking of abandoning his current course of action to do just that. It did not seem that he had realized that truth about Conrad’s actions. How he could not was a mystery to the blonde. While the half-Mazoku could be the steel-blooded warrior when needed and the gentle companion as well, when it came to Yuuri, there was always a shadowed look in his eyes, no matter how wide or genuine the smile on his face.
“No, I will talk to him later,” the raven-haired Maou finally came to a decision. “But right now I want to know why I have to done to make you so mad at me.”
Wolf snorted, more put off now than before, “If you do not know already than you will never understand.” He clenched the hand near his head in a fist, trying to reign in the sudden flaring of anger he felt. How can he not know? Is he that oblivious to everything he doesn’t want to see?
“How am I supposed to know if no one tells me anything?” Yuuri pushed back. “I’m not a psychic!”
“But you are a king,” Wolf told him. “And a king is supposed to understand his subjects, feel their troubles as if they were his own, and see his own faults when they are as obvious as a chicken painted blue.”
It seemed that this upset the boy-King, who stomped his foot. “I never said I was a very good king!” he growled. “But I’m working on it! I can’t learn if people don’t help me.”
“It is not MY job to teach you!” the blonde threw back at him. “I am merely-”
He halted his words, unsure of what to say. What am I? he asked himself. I’m not a slave, a nobleman, a scholar, a soldier, nor am I even really a fiancé. His anger fled, to be replaced by a strange emptiness. When I agreed to remain in Shin Makoku, I wanted to find my place in the world, and yet after all this time…I have nothing to show for it.
The truth of his uselessness left a lump in his throat, as if he had swallowed an egg whole, shell and all. I spent the last two months learning, training in swordplay and diplomacy and yet I know not what I am meant to do with it all. Before HE came back, I at least had a purpose, to stand in as was my duty as his fiancé. But now that HE has returned… What is left for me to do? I could continue to study, as I know I have not completed my training, but…
“Wolf, I want an answer!”
A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him on his back, leaving his eyes in the direct view of ebony orbs that were cut and a brow wrinkled in frustration. “Answer me!”
“Get away from me!” He struck out, shoving the Maou away with as much force as he could muster from his position. He sat up, glaring at the other who was even more confused than he had been. “Get out! I want nothing to do with you! This is ALL your fault! Now I have nothing left! All because of you! Haven’t you done enough? Leave me be!”
He grabbed his shoe from beside the bed and threw it at the Maou, who ducked it, and jumped back into the doorway involuntarily. Wolf jumped up then, and pushed Yuuri again, slamming the door and locking it. “STAY OUT!”
“Wolf! Wolf, open the door!” The voice was clear, probably due to the blonde’s close proximity to the door. “Wolf!”
“Go Away, Your Majesty,” he growled out, although loud enough to be heard on the other side. The pounding died and the blonde let out a chocked sigh, turning around to slide down the door’s length. He curled in on himself, trying to ignore the oncoming cramps in his stomach. He was hungry, and yet he knew that eating would only bring about the sickness.
And I still have you to contend with, he thought to the being growing within him. I only have three days to take the potion now and that lessens with every hour. And then he felt the pain in his leg that he had ignored before then. Gritting his teeth, he ran his hand over the bandage around his thigh that was beginning to sow red on the surface.
I think I might have reopened it, he realized, and yet he could not bring himself to seek the necessary help he would need to re-mend it. Instead, he pushed himself to his unsteady feet, stumbling back the short distance to his bed, where he curled up. His eyes itched as if they were on fire, and yet he would not allow the water needed to alleviate the proverbial flames to come.
It seems the only one who has use for me is this chi…this Thing I carry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It seemed that the others actually took his request for solitude to heart. He had succumb to his emotional exhaustion and when he awoke hours later, it was of his own volition and from outward appearances, no one had thought to use the key the unlock the door and enter. He sat up, rubbing the grit from his eyes, feeling no more resolved or absolved of his concerns and harsh awakenings than he had after his outburst towards Yuuri. If anything, thinking back on his utterly embarrassing behavior left a sour taste in his mouth and his face heated.
What was wrong with me? he wondered. What in the name of the Great One had taken hold of me that I couldn’t even control my own emotions? It was as if I was some woman!
The answer came to him then. It’s… I am like some woman. A pregnant one. The thought brought to mind one of his former masters, who had been a pregnant widow. Her husband had died while in service to the Army of Dai Shimaron, he had been a Captain or something else of high rank. She had purchased him so that she would have companionship and someone to help her during her pregnancy. It had been a very peaceful existence, seeing as he was still rather young when she bought him-only fifty-five years old-although he’d had experience helping take care of children so it had been no problem for him.
Lady Baborone had been a rather emotional woman during her pregnancy, going from spending hours singing and working happily in the garden to locking herself in her room and crying over the loss of her husband and her child growing up without a father. When he had questioned with the other slaves over her behavior, they had explained that women tend to shift from one emotional extreme to another during pregnancy-he recalled one describing changes in the woman’s body that he hadn’t truly paid any mind to at the time.
She had given birth in the winter, during a terrible storm, to a beautiful little boy that she named after his father, Lord Chauston Baborone. The midwife found that she had also contracted some illness shortly after that her weakened body could not cope with. She was changed after that, almost on constant bed-rest. She would catch cold from the slightest exposure and the flu was a constant worry. Wolf took care of her as much as he did ‘Baby Chaz.’ Often at the same time, seeing as the Lady was adamant about being part of her son’s life, no matter her health.
It was not her health the killed her in the end, but her own family. Her sister came, upon orders of their mother, removing Chauston from his mother’s arms and Wolf’s care. Their mother was a great noblewoman who came from a prestigious family of Dai Shimaron, descendants of a line of the kingdom’s rulers. Her husband had even changed his surname when they married rather than the other way around. She sent her elder daughter to take Lady Baborone’s child because she felt that her daughter was far too ill to properly care for a child and did not believe it proper for him to be raised by slaves-the letter left behind by her sister had reprimanded Lady Baborone for her ‘negligence’ towards her son for not even hiring proper nannies and instead leaving his welfare in the hands of a ‘half-breed slave.’
Not even a month later, Lady Baborone died, giving up the battle she had fought for over eighteen months. Baby Chaz had been her strength, giving her the will to go on after losing her husband and to desire to live even though she was often so ill. Everything that she had owned had been split between her husband’s family, including Wolf. That was how he came to be in the possession of Lord Zanter, Lord Baborone’s nephew, one of the few who had visited the Lady more than once during his time with her. It had been stated as one of the few stipulations in the will she had left behind, knowing that Zanter would be one who would not abuse Wolf, given that his only true flaws were his gambling addiction and his obsession with beautiful older women.
Thinking back on the Lady and Baby Chaz left a dead weight in his chest. While he had quite a few kind and generous masters in his time, none had actually made him forget, even if only for a while, that he was a slave as she had. She saw him as a friend, or younger sibling in a way-as she had been in her twenties and her husband a good two decades older than she-and he could not think of a time that she had treated him differently. While she was a very lovely and pleasant woman to be around, those who were her ‘neighbors’ did not see to associate with her during her pregnancy and subsequent illness. The slaves in her home had been her only constant companions and she treated them with respect. At the time it was illegal in Dai Shimaron to release a slave from servitude without formal permission from the king-and he did not think it had changed since then, but the Lady never took any of them for granted nor did she allow the guests of her home to disrespect them.
She was exactly what a Lady is supposed to be and yet everyone looked down on her for it. They understood the power she could have because of the wealth her husband had left behind, and yet they still felt nothing but disdain towards her. It had always been something that had angered him. He could not understand how people could ‘hate’ someone who actually took the time to put others before herself.
And Baby Chaz never got to know his mother or what a wonderful woman she was, he knew this without having to see physical proof. He was probably told that she gave him up and that she didn’t want him, that she couldn’t stand the sight of him after losing her husband. He probably grew up hating her. And he had been such a perfect little babe, pink and soft and always smiling and laughing. He would coo at her every time she sang to him and she would smile at him as if he was the only one in the world that mattered to her. He was the only thing in the world that mattered to her. And he’ll never know.
And the fire was back, burning his eyes to the point that he squeezed them shut against it. He didn’t want to give in to the sudden despair his memories brought him. This time, the wrongs had not been committed against him, and yet he had felt the sting and wounding just as personally.
Unconsciously, he brought a hand to his stomach, as if to try to feel if there was indeed a life growing within him. This will be better for the both of us, he thought with certainty. You will never have to live in a world where your parents hate you, and everyone else scorns you for how you were created. I won’t have to stare at a child I might not be able to love. You won’t have to feel any of it. It will all be over soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He didn’t return to sleep, but instead spent what was left of the night thinking of what he would do once he returned to Shin Makoku. Now that the Maou had returned, he would no longer have to shun his own desires for his life. He would still take his lessons with Günter, but he would choose an apprenticeship to serve under as well. He was not certain what would be best suited for him, but he knew that he could anything as long as he had the time to work at it.
It was not long from dawn, if he could guess from the lightening darkness outside his window, when someone finally deigned himself brave enough to knock on Wolf’s door. Reluctantly, the blonde did unlock it, allowing the person to enter.
“Oh good your awake!” It was Murata, the usual grin on his features.
“Is there something you need?” the former slave inquired.
The raven-haired, reincarnated Sage’s grin did not falter. “I thought I someone should inform you that we’ll be docking within the next half-hour. That way you could wash up or whatever you would prefer to do before we return to the castle. Nothing more.”
Wolf stared at him for a moment, unsure as he usually was when he found himself in close proximity to the other boy. Murata was a human, and yet he was also the reincarnation of one of the most powerful Mazoku ever born. There were times when the foolhardy grin would give way to a more calculating smile, a look gleaming beneath his glasses that said that he understood more or knew more about the goings-on then he would let out. Wolf had never been alone with the other boy before now, and had never felt such a measuring look before.
Green eyes turned away first and he made his way back to the bed, trying to hide his limp as best as possible. Murata was not fooled.
“Gisela will probably want to give you a full look over once we return,” he said nonchalantly. “She’s quite the worrier, for all her kindness and aggressiveness.”
“I’m fine,” the blonde stated. “You should worry over your king more.”
“Yuuri has Conrad to fret over him, and he does a wonderful job of it,” his smile widened. “And after whatever fight you two had, he’s only hovering even more.”
Wolf frowned, huffing quietly as he sat back down. “My life is my own and it shall remain that way. Perhaps His Majesty should realize that and learn to accept it. He may have ‘saved’ me from my former lot in life, but that does not give him the right to demand I answer to him for everything.”
Murata laughed, a hand scratching the back on his head in a more assured imitation of Yuuri’s self-conscious habit. “You see, I’ve never seen Yuuri act the way he does around you with anyone else,” he pointed out. “He’s just doesn’t know what to do with you.”
This was not something that the blonde wanted to hear. “He’s doesn’t have to do ANYTHING with me!” he retorted. “I am NOT some piece of property! He doesn’t own me!”
And the smile changed its motive away from its former inane watch into a more intense, comprehensive stare. “He feels responsible for you,” the other boy explained. “He feels that he was the one who pushed you into coming to Shin Makoku and so he wants to do everything he can to make you feel at home, happy.”
The blonde didn’t reply to the other boy’s words, instead he turned away, eyes going to the small port window. “It’s not His Majesty’s duty,” he replied. “He should be more concerned about his people and the prospects of war with Dai Shimaron than forcing ‘comfort’ on me.”
Murata gave a small chuckle at this. “Maybe you should tell Yuuri that he’s coming on a little too strong? He probably doesn’t even realize he’s doing it and I’m not sure that yelling at him without actually ‘telling’ him why you’re angry with him is going to help.”
“Then maybe someone else should grow a backbone and actually tell him what he’s doing wrong to his face instead of allowing it to continue,” Wolf retorted. “Why do you all coddle him so?”
Murata didn’t answer him immediately, instead his grin widened, stretching across his entire face. Then he shrugged again, this time only a light shifting of his shoulders before he moved away and towards the door. “Maybe Wolf, you should ask yourself, even after watching how everyone else acts, why you don’t.” And with that he turned and exited the room. Before shutting the door completely, he peaking his head back in and waved his hand. “Don’t forget what I said about docking soon.”
Wolf kept his eyes on the window, even after he heard the door shut behind the Sage, pointedly trying to ignore a question he wasn’t sure he would be able to answer. He gave an absentminded snort, Who wants a wimp for a king?
This chapter wasn't really on the short side, but most of it was little action, lots of what I hopefully believe is character development. Next chapter should be out within two weeks, but as I said before, updates will be sporadic...but they shouldn't take months at a time...unless the chapter turns out 20,000 words or longer.
Title: Into the Indefinite Sky
Author: S.P. Kathrine
Anime: Kyou Kara Maou
Genre: AU, Angst/Drama, Romance
Pairing: YuurixWolfram
Rating: M-MA (R-NC17)
Chapter: Chapter 15 15/ ???
Warnings: Angst, Non-Consensual Sexual themes (referenced/implied), AU, OOC Wolfram, possibly OOC everyone else, Mpreg, Non-'Flashback' Flashbacks.
Summary:
Wolf had spent his life believing that he was meant for servitude. His master was strict, and often cruel, but he never thought he could be anything more than what he was. One night changes everything and he is thrown into a world that he knows nothing about and given a life he never thought he could have. But a secret he keeps could only throw his life into further turmoil and not to mention the Demon King…
BETA: nekokatechan
Crossposted @: kkm_wolframfans
Other chapters found : here
Chapter 15 - Onward Home
As it turned out, Belal was nothing more than a puppet, controlled by the mystery man that was his ‘advisor’. After they had arrived to confront them, battling enchanted puppets throughout the compound, they had entered the Great Hall and found the king as nothing more than an emaciated doll himself, lying haphazardly upon his throne, eyes glazed and staring far off into nothing. It was a disgusting sight to witness.
Wolf had to hold back the inherent shudder he had felt at when he first laid eyes on the man. He had not even realized he was alive, so emaciated was his body and sallow was his skin. His clothes were dirty and an odor permeated through the room of which the blonde preferred not to find the origin.
Yuuri had stood up to him, although the man merely laughed. His mind was far too tainted by the power of the true mastermind, the mysterious stranger that had taken control so as to become his strategist and advisor. The Stranger had been powerful, in a dark, heavy way that left you feeling weighted and breathless just by being in his presence. At first, Wolf had even held a fear that Yuuri would not know what to do when the time came, if action over words became necessary.
Everything had come to a head when the Stranger had used his dark Majutsu to take over the bodies of Adelbert, Yosak, and Keenan -Adelbert’s second-in-command. It had put them at a disadvantage, because neither Yuuri nor Murata knew how to fight well and Wolfram was still a novice. He could barely fight off Keenan; the rather deep wound on his leg a testament to that.
But in the end, the Maou had saved them all. Yuuri had stared down von Grantz’s blade and was overcome by the bright blue pureness of his own maryoku, setting the three men free of the Stranger’s influence. He had then stood up to the man that had been the cause of all of their troubles, only to watch as he seemed to collapse into a puddle on the floor. He was gone. All that had been left behind were his clothes.
Now they were on a ship back to Shin Makoku to speak to Ulrike. Adelbert and Keenan had seen them off from the road that split between their two destinations. A small promise of sorts hanging in the air for their next meeting. For some reason, the way that von Grantz had spoken, seemed somewhat wistful and reminiscent, as if he was thinking about something else when he bade them farewell. He didn’t want to think about the way he felt his stomach clenched after seeing the understanding look between the older man and Yuuri. The look that said they spoke things to each other that no one else could hear.
And now they were only hours away from home, and he had been sent off to one of the rooms below deck, away from whatever conversation the others were having. It was obvious that he was not meant to be included and probably had only heard what Murata had spoken in Dai Shimaron because he had not thought about who all had been in the room at the time.
The boxes? He thought over what small amount of information he had gleaned. What do the boxes have to do with anything? He knew, even though no one had told him, exactly which boxes were being spoken of. He had known that something was different about the odd boxes sitting on the pedestal in the Shrine of the Original King after watching both Conrad and Gwendal. It seemed that everyone knew what was going on except him, and he found it hard ignore to the sense of isolation that truth brought.
“Are you getting seasick again?”
He had not even heard the door open. Shifting, he peaked his head over his shoulder so that he could see the boy that was standing in the doorway. “I think it has passed for now,” he replied.
“That’s good,” Yuuri stated with a smile. “It would suck if you were sick all the way home, too.”
“Is there something you needed, Your Majesty?” Wolf inquired, not in the mood for the Maou to act as shy and self-conscious as he usually did.
“No,” the raven-haired boy shook his head. “But I wanted to check on you and Conrad said that dinner would be ready soon.”
“As you can see,” the blonde pointed out in a semi-bored tone. “I am perfectly fine and I don’t think that I will be eating anything for the rest of the night. I would rather not aggravate the seasickness.”
“But we haven’t eaten anything since midmorning,” Yuuri protested. “It’s not good for people to skip meals.”
“I am fine, you wimp,” Wolf was not as kind with his retort.
“My name is Yuuri!” the boy-King frowned. “I keep telling you to call me by my name, but it’s always ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘wimp’. You’re worse than Conrad!”
“Conrad calls you that because he feels that he doesn’t deserve to call you by your name,” the blonde stated, turning his head away. “I call you that because that is what your are.”
“That doesn’t…Wait…What are you talking about?” Yuuri blinked in confusion. “Conrad doesn’t…”
“Yes, he does,” Wolfram replied with irritation. “Maybe you should go talk to him about it…get things settled and all?”
Even though it was obvious by his tone that Wolf just truly wanted to get rid of the other boy, Yuuri actually seemed to be thinking of abandoning his current course of action to do just that. It did not seem that he had realized that truth about Conrad’s actions. How he could not was a mystery to the blonde. While the half-Mazoku could be the steel-blooded warrior when needed and the gentle companion as well, when it came to Yuuri, there was always a shadowed look in his eyes, no matter how wide or genuine the smile on his face.
“No, I will talk to him later,” the raven-haired Maou finally came to a decision. “But right now I want to know why I have to done to make you so mad at me.”
Wolf snorted, more put off now than before, “If you do not know already than you will never understand.” He clenched the hand near his head in a fist, trying to reign in the sudden flaring of anger he felt. How can he not know? Is he that oblivious to everything he doesn’t want to see?
“How am I supposed to know if no one tells me anything?” Yuuri pushed back. “I’m not a psychic!”
“But you are a king,” Wolf told him. “And a king is supposed to understand his subjects, feel their troubles as if they were his own, and see his own faults when they are as obvious as a chicken painted blue.”
It seemed that this upset the boy-King, who stomped his foot. “I never said I was a very good king!” he growled. “But I’m working on it! I can’t learn if people don’t help me.”
“It is not MY job to teach you!” the blonde threw back at him. “I am merely-”
He halted his words, unsure of what to say. What am I? he asked himself. I’m not a slave, a nobleman, a scholar, a soldier, nor am I even really a fiancé. His anger fled, to be replaced by a strange emptiness. When I agreed to remain in Shin Makoku, I wanted to find my place in the world, and yet after all this time…I have nothing to show for it.
The truth of his uselessness left a lump in his throat, as if he had swallowed an egg whole, shell and all. I spent the last two months learning, training in swordplay and diplomacy and yet I know not what I am meant to do with it all. Before HE came back, I at least had a purpose, to stand in as was my duty as his fiancé. But now that HE has returned… What is left for me to do? I could continue to study, as I know I have not completed my training, but…
“Wolf, I want an answer!”
A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him on his back, leaving his eyes in the direct view of ebony orbs that were cut and a brow wrinkled in frustration. “Answer me!”
“Get away from me!” He struck out, shoving the Maou away with as much force as he could muster from his position. He sat up, glaring at the other who was even more confused than he had been. “Get out! I want nothing to do with you! This is ALL your fault! Now I have nothing left! All because of you! Haven’t you done enough? Leave me be!”
He grabbed his shoe from beside the bed and threw it at the Maou, who ducked it, and jumped back into the doorway involuntarily. Wolf jumped up then, and pushed Yuuri again, slamming the door and locking it. “STAY OUT!”
“Wolf! Wolf, open the door!” The voice was clear, probably due to the blonde’s close proximity to the door. “Wolf!”
“Go Away, Your Majesty,” he growled out, although loud enough to be heard on the other side. The pounding died and the blonde let out a chocked sigh, turning around to slide down the door’s length. He curled in on himself, trying to ignore the oncoming cramps in his stomach. He was hungry, and yet he knew that eating would only bring about the sickness.
And I still have you to contend with, he thought to the being growing within him. I only have three days to take the potion now and that lessens with every hour. And then he felt the pain in his leg that he had ignored before then. Gritting his teeth, he ran his hand over the bandage around his thigh that was beginning to sow red on the surface.
I think I might have reopened it, he realized, and yet he could not bring himself to seek the necessary help he would need to re-mend it. Instead, he pushed himself to his unsteady feet, stumbling back the short distance to his bed, where he curled up. His eyes itched as if they were on fire, and yet he would not allow the water needed to alleviate the proverbial flames to come.
It seems the only one who has use for me is this chi…this Thing I carry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It seemed that the others actually took his request for solitude to heart. He had succumb to his emotional exhaustion and when he awoke hours later, it was of his own volition and from outward appearances, no one had thought to use the key the unlock the door and enter. He sat up, rubbing the grit from his eyes, feeling no more resolved or absolved of his concerns and harsh awakenings than he had after his outburst towards Yuuri. If anything, thinking back on his utterly embarrassing behavior left a sour taste in his mouth and his face heated.
What was wrong with me? he wondered. What in the name of the Great One had taken hold of me that I couldn’t even control my own emotions? It was as if I was some woman!
The answer came to him then. It’s… I am like some woman. A pregnant one. The thought brought to mind one of his former masters, who had been a pregnant widow. Her husband had died while in service to the Army of Dai Shimaron, he had been a Captain or something else of high rank. She had purchased him so that she would have companionship and someone to help her during her pregnancy. It had been a very peaceful existence, seeing as he was still rather young when she bought him-only fifty-five years old-although he’d had experience helping take care of children so it had been no problem for him.
Lady Baborone had been a rather emotional woman during her pregnancy, going from spending hours singing and working happily in the garden to locking herself in her room and crying over the loss of her husband and her child growing up without a father. When he had questioned with the other slaves over her behavior, they had explained that women tend to shift from one emotional extreme to another during pregnancy-he recalled one describing changes in the woman’s body that he hadn’t truly paid any mind to at the time.
She had given birth in the winter, during a terrible storm, to a beautiful little boy that she named after his father, Lord Chauston Baborone. The midwife found that she had also contracted some illness shortly after that her weakened body could not cope with. She was changed after that, almost on constant bed-rest. She would catch cold from the slightest exposure and the flu was a constant worry. Wolf took care of her as much as he did ‘Baby Chaz.’ Often at the same time, seeing as the Lady was adamant about being part of her son’s life, no matter her health.
It was not her health the killed her in the end, but her own family. Her sister came, upon orders of their mother, removing Chauston from his mother’s arms and Wolf’s care. Their mother was a great noblewoman who came from a prestigious family of Dai Shimaron, descendants of a line of the kingdom’s rulers. Her husband had even changed his surname when they married rather than the other way around. She sent her elder daughter to take Lady Baborone’s child because she felt that her daughter was far too ill to properly care for a child and did not believe it proper for him to be raised by slaves-the letter left behind by her sister had reprimanded Lady Baborone for her ‘negligence’ towards her son for not even hiring proper nannies and instead leaving his welfare in the hands of a ‘half-breed slave.’
Not even a month later, Lady Baborone died, giving up the battle she had fought for over eighteen months. Baby Chaz had been her strength, giving her the will to go on after losing her husband and to desire to live even though she was often so ill. Everything that she had owned had been split between her husband’s family, including Wolf. That was how he came to be in the possession of Lord Zanter, Lord Baborone’s nephew, one of the few who had visited the Lady more than once during his time with her. It had been stated as one of the few stipulations in the will she had left behind, knowing that Zanter would be one who would not abuse Wolf, given that his only true flaws were his gambling addiction and his obsession with beautiful older women.
Thinking back on the Lady and Baby Chaz left a dead weight in his chest. While he had quite a few kind and generous masters in his time, none had actually made him forget, even if only for a while, that he was a slave as she had. She saw him as a friend, or younger sibling in a way-as she had been in her twenties and her husband a good two decades older than she-and he could not think of a time that she had treated him differently. While she was a very lovely and pleasant woman to be around, those who were her ‘neighbors’ did not see to associate with her during her pregnancy and subsequent illness. The slaves in her home had been her only constant companions and she treated them with respect. At the time it was illegal in Dai Shimaron to release a slave from servitude without formal permission from the king-and he did not think it had changed since then, but the Lady never took any of them for granted nor did she allow the guests of her home to disrespect them.
She was exactly what a Lady is supposed to be and yet everyone looked down on her for it. They understood the power she could have because of the wealth her husband had left behind, and yet they still felt nothing but disdain towards her. It had always been something that had angered him. He could not understand how people could ‘hate’ someone who actually took the time to put others before herself.
And Baby Chaz never got to know his mother or what a wonderful woman she was, he knew this without having to see physical proof. He was probably told that she gave him up and that she didn’t want him, that she couldn’t stand the sight of him after losing her husband. He probably grew up hating her. And he had been such a perfect little babe, pink and soft and always smiling and laughing. He would coo at her every time she sang to him and she would smile at him as if he was the only one in the world that mattered to her. He was the only thing in the world that mattered to her. And he’ll never know.
And the fire was back, burning his eyes to the point that he squeezed them shut against it. He didn’t want to give in to the sudden despair his memories brought him. This time, the wrongs had not been committed against him, and yet he had felt the sting and wounding just as personally.
Unconsciously, he brought a hand to his stomach, as if to try to feel if there was indeed a life growing within him. This will be better for the both of us, he thought with certainty. You will never have to live in a world where your parents hate you, and everyone else scorns you for how you were created. I won’t have to stare at a child I might not be able to love. You won’t have to feel any of it. It will all be over soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He didn’t return to sleep, but instead spent what was left of the night thinking of what he would do once he returned to Shin Makoku. Now that the Maou had returned, he would no longer have to shun his own desires for his life. He would still take his lessons with Günter, but he would choose an apprenticeship to serve under as well. He was not certain what would be best suited for him, but he knew that he could anything as long as he had the time to work at it.
It was not long from dawn, if he could guess from the lightening darkness outside his window, when someone finally deigned himself brave enough to knock on Wolf’s door. Reluctantly, the blonde did unlock it, allowing the person to enter.
“Oh good your awake!” It was Murata, the usual grin on his features.
“Is there something you need?” the former slave inquired.
The raven-haired, reincarnated Sage’s grin did not falter. “I thought I someone should inform you that we’ll be docking within the next half-hour. That way you could wash up or whatever you would prefer to do before we return to the castle. Nothing more.”
Wolf stared at him for a moment, unsure as he usually was when he found himself in close proximity to the other boy. Murata was a human, and yet he was also the reincarnation of one of the most powerful Mazoku ever born. There were times when the foolhardy grin would give way to a more calculating smile, a look gleaming beneath his glasses that said that he understood more or knew more about the goings-on then he would let out. Wolf had never been alone with the other boy before now, and had never felt such a measuring look before.
Green eyes turned away first and he made his way back to the bed, trying to hide his limp as best as possible. Murata was not fooled.
“Gisela will probably want to give you a full look over once we return,” he said nonchalantly. “She’s quite the worrier, for all her kindness and aggressiveness.”
“I’m fine,” the blonde stated. “You should worry over your king more.”
“Yuuri has Conrad to fret over him, and he does a wonderful job of it,” his smile widened. “And after whatever fight you two had, he’s only hovering even more.”
Wolf frowned, huffing quietly as he sat back down. “My life is my own and it shall remain that way. Perhaps His Majesty should realize that and learn to accept it. He may have ‘saved’ me from my former lot in life, but that does not give him the right to demand I answer to him for everything.”
Murata laughed, a hand scratching the back on his head in a more assured imitation of Yuuri’s self-conscious habit. “You see, I’ve never seen Yuuri act the way he does around you with anyone else,” he pointed out. “He’s just doesn’t know what to do with you.”
This was not something that the blonde wanted to hear. “He’s doesn’t have to do ANYTHING with me!” he retorted. “I am NOT some piece of property! He doesn’t own me!”
And the smile changed its motive away from its former inane watch into a more intense, comprehensive stare. “He feels responsible for you,” the other boy explained. “He feels that he was the one who pushed you into coming to Shin Makoku and so he wants to do everything he can to make you feel at home, happy.”
The blonde didn’t reply to the other boy’s words, instead he turned away, eyes going to the small port window. “It’s not His Majesty’s duty,” he replied. “He should be more concerned about his people and the prospects of war with Dai Shimaron than forcing ‘comfort’ on me.”
Murata gave a small chuckle at this. “Maybe you should tell Yuuri that he’s coming on a little too strong? He probably doesn’t even realize he’s doing it and I’m not sure that yelling at him without actually ‘telling’ him why you’re angry with him is going to help.”
“Then maybe someone else should grow a backbone and actually tell him what he’s doing wrong to his face instead of allowing it to continue,” Wolf retorted. “Why do you all coddle him so?”
Murata didn’t answer him immediately, instead his grin widened, stretching across his entire face. Then he shrugged again, this time only a light shifting of his shoulders before he moved away and towards the door. “Maybe Wolf, you should ask yourself, even after watching how everyone else acts, why you don’t.” And with that he turned and exited the room. Before shutting the door completely, he peaking his head back in and waved his hand. “Don’t forget what I said about docking soon.”
Wolf kept his eyes on the window, even after he heard the door shut behind the Sage, pointedly trying to ignore a question he wasn’t sure he would be able to answer. He gave an absentminded snort, Who wants a wimp for a king?
This chapter wasn't really on the short side, but most of it was little action, lots of what I hopefully believe is character development. Next chapter should be out within two weeks, but as I said before, updates will be sporadic...but they shouldn't take months at a time...unless the chapter turns out 20,000 words or longer.