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Love is Supposed to be Easier than This Part 1
Posted just so I can have all my fic in one place. Will probably never join another fic exchange, as I am a) bad at deadlines, and b) have no confidence.
Title: Love is Supposed to be Easier Than This
Written for the KKM Christmas Fic and Art Exchange
Name of Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lunesque
Name of Recipient:srgt_s_venom
Pairings/Characters: Conrad/Shori
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Um. Smut. Basically canon through episode 71. Most of the dialogue in the second scene is taken directly from episode 73. Spoilers for the rest of the series. I’ll say it again: Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers. Events are slightly mutated to fit the confines of the story.
Disclaimer: I don’t own them. But damn, I really wish I did.
Original Request: I'd like to see some Conrad/Shouri. NC17, please. Sideplot is always lovely, and I'd like to see their relationship develop from more than just Shouri's stand-offish behaviour to real trust, without being sappy or angsty. And please, no replacement!fic. Conrad should like/fall for Shouri for who he is.
Summary: Shori has issues. Conrad loves him anyway.
~*~
The air was misty, humid and heavy in Shori’s throat as he sat by the window, watching the reconstruction of Blood Pledge Castle. His memory of the day before was somewhat obscured—all he could really remember was the intense power welling up in him, the satisfaction of gaining enough strength to rival any of the mazoku in the castle, the desire to keep his younger brother from harm, and his mother, of all things. Shori sighed as his eyes drifted toward the builders once more, ashamed that he had so easily lost control over his majutsu. Yuuri might have forgiven him, and Shori was grateful for that, but there was a large part of him disgusted with his weakness. After all, according to the stories he’d heard, Yuuri had only used his powers for the good of those who had been wronged—Yuuri hadn’t gone mad from the strength of his gifts as Shori had. Shori brooded and stared out the window; the stormy, wicked-looking sky above Shinou’s temple mirrored his dark mood.
Shori heard the door open and turned toward the entrance, half expecting Greta to appear and drag him out with the others. Instead of the human girl, however, Shori’s eyes caught on a beige uniform and calm, assessing brown eyes. Shori scowled, defensively crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes?" he asked cautiously; although his animosity toward Weller had cooled a little since their assault on Shinou’s temple to find the truth behind the seals on the forbidden boxes, he still found himself uncomfortable and resentful every time he saw Conrad. After all, Conrad had no magic whatsoever, but he still had a place by Yuuri’s side, while Shori could do nothing but watch as his younger brother became someone he wasn’t even sure he knew.
"I came to see how you were doing," Conrad said, unperturbed by Shori’s abruptness. "You seemed all right at breakfast, but appearances can be deceiving."
Shori shot Conrad a narrow glare. "I don’t think it’s any of your business."
Conrad inclined his head, acknowledging that Shori had a point. Shori turned back to the window, looked at the damaged wing of the castle, and shook his head. "I still can’t believe I did that. That I lost control."
"No one blames you, Shori," Conrad said.
"I don’t care about that," Shori snapped. Conrad watched him silently for a long moment, and Shori sighed. "I could have hurt him. I would have hurt him then, if it could have kept him safe in the future." Having said a bit more than he intended, Shori shut his mouth, gritting his teeth against any more conversation.
Conrad came to his side and stared out the window. "His Majesty has already forgiven you."
Shori barked a bitter laugh. "He forgives too easily."
There was another silence between the two of them. Shori was about to ask what Conrad was still doing there when the other man spoke. "He trusts so implicitly that you feel as though you don’t deserve it."
"Sometimes," Shori admitted.
"It is part of what makes him such a good king, that ability to forgive." Conrad took a breath. "I believe that it is our duty to strive for his ideals. It’s easy to be kind. It’s easy to care. It’s hard to forgive yourself."
Shori scoffed, cutting his eyes to the side to look at Conrad. "What would you know about it?" The embers of his resentment flared up again. "You’re always by his side. You’re allowed to protect him."
Conrad smiled, a fleeting twist of his lips. "He forgives too easily," Conrad answered softly, and took a step back. "We’re almost ready to leave for the temple. Greta wishes to see us off." He inclined his head and was gone. Shori scowled after him, although Conrad could not see his expression, and wondered why he felt as though he were missing something.
*
"What?" Shori exclaimed—he was quite certain he’d heard incorrectly. "You aren’t still seriously thinking of going through with this!" Yuuri was giving him the stubborn look that meant he had heard exactly that. "It’s too dangerous!" he insisted, and looked around the room for any sort of back up. The shrine maidens were too busy with their prayers to keep their attention on anything but the boxes, the friend of his brother was looking carefully concerned (not concerned enough, in Shori’s opinion), Gwendal was watching him suspiciously (but then, Gwendal always looked suspicious) and—
"You must trust His Majesty and His Highness!" Gunter was insisting, trying to placate Shori. Shori didn’t find his blind faith the least bit reassuring. He wanted to shout that Yuuri was only fifteen, that he was still a child. He needed to be protected, not led to the slaughter.
"Murata wouldn’t do anything to hurt me!" Yuuri agreed. "I trust him. Besides, I’m the king. This is my responsibility."
Shori heaved an angry sigh and turned to Conrad. "And you? What do you think?" He continued without waiting for a response. "You helped me get into the temple so we could find out what was really going on. Everyone can see those boxes are dangerous. We need to keep him away from them. Find some other way."
"I share your concern," Conrad replied thoughtfully. "However, I have faith in His Majesty, and follow his will." His hand dropped to the hilt of his sword. "We will keep him safe."
He felt a flush of anger creeping up the back of his neck. "Fine!" he spat, and folded his arms over his chest. He didn’t care that Yuuri was looking at him in disappointment (well, he did, but his precious younger brother’s safety was a much more pressing concern.) "Let’s do this as quickly as possible."
Yuuri took a deep breath and faced the boxes. After a long moment, Yuuri turned away and gave them a firm look.
Shori watched Yuuri carefully—as a concerned older brother, it was the least he could do. "Yuuri."
Yuuri broke into a helpless grin and scratched the back of his head. "So… what am I supposed to do?"
Shori blinked, and let out an exasperated noise. "Huh? What were you planning on doing, not even knowing how it’s done?’
Yuuri winced. "Well…"
Murata shook his head. "Now, now…" He turned to Gunter and gently transferred Ulrike into Gunter’s arms. "Excuse me a bit."
Ulrike continued to watch Murata with worried eyes, and Gunter squeezed her gently. "It’s all right. If we let His Majesty and His Highness handle things, it’ll turn out well for sure."
Murata went to Yuuri’s side. "The procedure isn’t that complicated."
Yuuri frowned, confused, and Shori fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Murata?’
"Use your maryoku to compress the barrier that Ulrike and the others put up."
Yuuri nodded. "So in other words, we’re shoving everything that came out of the box back in?"
"Right," Murata agreed. "It’s like shoving futons back in the closet they’re spilling out of and then quickly slamming the door shut."
Yuuri made a face. "That makes it easy to understand, but that analogy feels too much like housekeeping."
Murata ignored Yuuri as he continued. "Anyway, while Soushu is being held down, we again surround him with a barrier from above, just like wrapping things in a piece of cloth."
Yuuri sighed. "We’re not wrapping gifts, either…"
"Even if we can’t completely destroy Soushu, we can at least keep him trapped for another several thousand years," Murata finished.
Yuuri chewed on his lip thoughtfully. "Right. But, you know, this doesn’t seem like a permanent solution."
Murata laughed. "Do you think you can defeat Soushu, whom even Shinou could not defeat back then?"
Yuuri hesitated, "Well…"
Murata shrugged. "Besides, even Morgif, who fought together with Shinou, is no longer as powerful as he was back then." Morgif groaned a loud protest.
"But still…"
Shori took a step forward. "Yuuri, don’t push yourself too much. If there’s no other way, then you should focus on doing that for now. Don’t bite off more than you can chew."
Murata kept his eyes on Yuuri. "Shibuya. Even if the day comes when the seal weakens again, the Maou of that era will take care of it somehow."
"So you’re saying that we shouldn’t push it and let this chance go by. All right. I’ll just do everything I can right now." Yuuri walked up to the field raising his hands, and the boxes sparked with threat. Shori could feel the power focusing, tingling along his skin. There was a sharp, crackling sound and Yuuri stumbled away from the boxes, palms stung by the flood of the boxes’ energy.
"Yuuri!" Shori exclaimed, moving forward instinctively to support his brother.
"Shori!" Conrad said sternly, and Shori paused, looking back. "Shori. Leave everything to Yuuri."
"But…" Shori trailed off at the firm look in Conrad’s eyes. He knew intellectually that Yuuri was a king and that all of this was his duty, but he couldn’t help the panic he felt at the thought of Yuuri being hurt. He thought that Conrad and Wolfram, of them all, would understand, but they were both strangely calm about the entire proceedings.
"Take your time and stay calm. Concentrate," Murata was saying to Yuuri.
Shori nodded and took a deep breath. "Keep it up, Yuu-chan. And your friend, too. If only I knew how to use maryoku properly…" Shori hated feeling so helpless, hated the fact that the most he could do was cheer them on from the sidelines. He had been given his power for a reason, and his sheer uselessness only heightened his frustration more.
Gwendal darted a look behind him as Conrad shifted restlessly. "Stay where you are, Conrad. It’s dangerous for us to approach the boxes."
Conrad glanced at Gwendal, giving him a slight nod. "Yes, I know that."
The only thing Shori could think about was how horrible the entire situation was—It was so easy to see. Forbidden boxes! Two of the keys in the same room! A miasma of energy that was so evil it was visible! In his humble opinion, you didn’t need to be a genius to know something bad was going on.
Yuuri took a breath and eased forward, pressing Soushu’s energy back. "Okay. A bit more. Just… a bit more…"
There was a sudden clash of metal behind them, and both Yuuri and Shori turned at the sound to see Conrad parrying Wolfram’s thrust. "What?" Yuuri called out in shock. "Wolfram?"
Murata shouted, "Watch out! Shibuya!"
Shori ripped his eyes away from Conrad and Wolfram just in time to see Yuuri lose control. The murk of the boxes swelled and grew heavy, pushing Yuuri back yet again.
Conrad blocked another blow from Wolfram. "What has happened to you, Wolfram? Come to your senses!" Wolfram ignored him, eyes dark and rimmed red with exhaustion as he struck once more.
"What is he doing?" Shori asked.
Gunter stared at Wolfram and Conrad. "Wolfram…"
Gwendal frowned, forehead wrinkling in disbelief. "Impossible. Don’t tell me that you’ve been possessed by the miasma, Wolfram."
Ulrike shook her head, horrified and watching Wolfram helplessly. "This can’t be…"
Yuuri looked back again. "Wolfram… What’s going on?" The boxes gained in strength abruptly and sent Yuuri flying.
"Yuuri!" Shori shouted as he ran to his brother. He kneeled next to Yuuri, pressing a hand to his brother’s back. The miasma flared again, and he glared at Murata. "Hey! Friend of my brother! What’s the meaning of this?!"
Murata ignored Shori, staring into the nexus of energy as a figure began to appear. Softly, he said, "So it really was you… "
Shori peered at the boxes. After a long moment, he murmured, "Someone’s there."
Wolfram rushed at Conrad, pushing him off his feet. Immediately after he disarmed his brother, Wolfram dropped his sword and stood silently in place, as though he were a marionette with its strings cut.
Yuuri pulled himself to his feet, stepping away from Shori. "Wolfram!"
"Was he being manipulated by someone?" Shori asked.
Murata leapt to his feet just as the miasma flared brightly, the shockwave of the energy rolling through the room. Shori wrapped his arms around Yuuri and grunted as he skidded across the floor, his only thought to keep his brother uninjured. They came to a stop as they hit a wall, and Shori squinted into the light. The light finally died, and Shori was surprised to discover that the only person who remained standing during the onslaught was Wolfram. He felt almost nauseous with terror. It was hard to believe that they were all so easily defeated, especially after Weller had promised so firmly to keep his brother safe.
The figure Shori had seen at the nexus of box energy alighted onto the stairs. It was as substantial as a shadow. At this point, Shori was nearly convinced that nothing that occurred in this world, and more specifically, this temple, would surprise him.
Then the shadow talked. "It has been a long time. I have been awaiting this moment for so long." Yuuri pulled away from Shori as they stared at the shadowy figure. "Now. It is time for my revival. Come to me, O keys."
A gesture, and tendrils of darkness spilled from the man’s hand, darting to Conrad and wrapping around him securely. Shori tensed, torn between wanting to help and needing to keep Yuuri safe.
"Conrad!" Yuuri shouted.
The shadowed man continued quietly, "You, who have inherited the Weller blood…" He raised his other hand, and looked at Gwendal. "You, who have inherited the Voltaire blood…" Darkness slid from his hand to rope tightly around Gwendal.
Shori grabbed Yuuri’s arm, ignoring the way Yuuri tugged frantically against his grip. "Gwendal! Let them go, you bastard!"
"Yuuri!" Conrad cried out in warning, but Yuuri ignored him as well, pulling free of Shori and reaching out to disrupt the vespers that trapped his retainers. The darkness sizzled and snapped, and Yuuri cried out in surprise.
"Your Majesty!" Gunter shouted, and pulled his sword from its sheath in rage, running toward the man who had dared harm his king. "I will not allow this madness!" Gunter swung his sword in a wide arc, and grunted as the blade impacted on nothing and pushed him back.
"You dare wield your sword against your true master?" the man asked mildly.
"What?!" Gunter asked. Shori rested his hand on Yuuri’s shoulder, his hold tightening as the man looked around the room.
"The time has come. Abide by your pledges and give me the keys that I entrusted to you."
Yuuri pulled away from Shori and took a step closer. "Conrad!"
Conrad’s eyes were dark with worry as he turned toward Yuuri and shouted, "No, your majesty!"
Shori scrambled to his feet and hurried after Yuuri, who had ignored Conrad’s plea and was still trying to save them. "Stay back!" Gwendal demanded, struggling against his bonds, and Yuuri stopped in his tracks.
"But…"
"Now!" the man gestured once more. Shori’s heart climbed into his throat as they began to yelled out in pain. He stumbled the few steps to his brother, yanking him backward.
"Stop!" Yuuri screamed, struggling against Shori. Shori gritted his teeth and hung on, wondering when his brother had gotten so strong, the only thought in his mind to keep Yuuri safe. He felt a sharp pang of worry as the shine of the two keys vanished into their boxes, wondering what that would do to Conrad and Gwendal and hoping against hope that they still had the opportunity to end it all.
Murata hadn’t moved throughout the entire ordeal, and Shori noted that and filed it into the back of his head to think about later His ears still rang from the explosive energy of the boxes and the desperate yells of his brother and his injured vassals.
Power was flooding into their enemy. "The End of the Wind and the End of the Land have been opened." He said. "That’s two of them." He released Conrad and Gwendal without another thought. "Now, come! You, who have inherited the Bielefelt blood…"
Yuuri twisted to look at Wolfram and yanked hard against Shori’s hands, almost managing to free himself once more. "Wolfram!"
"Yuuri!" Shori cried desperately.
"Let go, Shori!" Yuuri begged.
Shori shook his head. "No! There’s no way you can defeat him!" Shori lost his train of thought as he watched Wolfram make his way over to the boxes.
"Good work, my puppet. Your role is over as well." Yuuri screamed Wolfram’s name as the man reached over and pulled out Wolfram’s heart with almost no effort at all, black steam pouring from the point of contact. The man glanced at it before sending it to the third box. "That makes three." The man said almost conversationally, and began to take a clear form. Shori could see the blond hair and ice blue eyes, and he frowned, almost positive he had seen this man before. "In the Frozen Soil of Hellfire has also been opened." They all stared hopelessly at him.
"Shinou…" Murata whispered, and Yuuri twitched. Shori remembered the portraits he’d seen in the halls of Blood Pledge Castle, and he inhaled sharply.
"Your Majesty Shinou…" Ulrike said in a tremulous, disbelieving voice.
"We meet again at last, my Great Sage," Shinou said to Murata. "Will you not rejoice now that we’ve finally been reunited after several thousand years?"
"So it really was you," Murata murmured, unperturbed at the fact that a literal ghost from his past was standing before him.
"It’s good that we can speak directly to each other," Shinou said fondly, and looked down at his hand. "Oh. I’m still not whole. The last one is… Erhard."
He glided toward Yuuri, and Shori pulled his younger brother back, eyes firmly on Shinou as he retreated. ""Stay back." He warned. Morgif groaned an angry sound in agreement.
Shinou looked at Morgif as he advanced. "Have you forgotten your true master as well, Morgif?"
Morgif blinked and wailed in confusion. Shori and Yuuri withdrew two more steps as Shinou raised his hand. Shori was already calculating the space between them multiplied by how fast Shinou attacked against their tactical retreat minus Yuuri’s absolute refusal to leave anyone behind when Conrad and Gwendal planted themselves solidly in front of them as a barrier against Shinou.
"Conrad!" Yuuri cried desperately. "Gwendal!"
Shinou eyed the two of them coldly. "I no longer need the two of you." He waved his hand and shoved them out of his way with his magic. "The one I need is…" Shinou fixed his eyes on Yuuri once more and stalked forward.
"Now!" Murata shouted. "Josak!"
Josak pushed through the shrine doors and ran forward, passing Yuuri and Shori. Shori’s jaw dropped. " Leave it to me!" Josak somersaulted through the air and landed on a tile that sank beneath his weight. Shori blinked as water cascaded around Shinou.
"What’s going on?" Yuuri asked blankly.
"Even he won’t be able to get out of that barrier so quickly!" Murata announced. "Hurry up and run!" Shori prodded his brother, acknowledging the opportunity that Murata had given them, even if he didn’t trust him.
"But…" Yuuri hesitated.
Shori was tempted to throw Yuuri over his shoulder, but settled for a scowl instead. "Just do as your friend says for now!" He yanked at Yuuri again, and breathed a sigh of relief as Yuuri finally followed him He had to get Yuuri to safety. Everything else could wait.
*
It wasn’t until they were all safely back at Blood Pledge Castle that everything began to sink in. They had all almost died. Wolfram’s heart had stopped. They had failed miserably, and one of their own had paid the ultimate price.
Greta had planted herself at Wolfram’s bedside, searching his face for any sign of life with worried and tearful eyes. They were all gathered anxiously, and Shori was alternately angry at his own weakness and relieved that he wasn’t spending this stressful time alone. He couldn’t understand why they were all here—it only made sense for a couple of people to be watching Wolfram. The rest of them needed to think about a plan regarding Shinou, because as long as he was around, Yuuri was still in danger.
He looked over at Conrad, and scoffed. Conrad glanced at him warily. "You said you’d protect him," Shori said bitterly. "You can’t even protect your own brother. It was stupid of me to think you people were strong enough to rely on."
"That isn’t fair, Shori," Yuuri protested, tearing his eyes from Wolfram long enough to give Shori a disappointed glance. "Conrad and everyone have always protected me. It’s my fault this happened…" He looked at Wolfram. "If I could have held out against Shinou and the boxes, it would’ve been okay."
Yuuri stopped talking as Gisela entered the room. She bowed and took a place at Wolfram’s side. "I got here as soon as I could," she said, and closed her eyes, placing her hands over Wolfram’s heart as she began to glow. Dark energy sparked off of Wolfram’s body, and Gisela winced, turning miserable eyes to Yuuri. "I can’t heal him. There’s a dark aura around him that won’t allow me to use my maryoku. I’m sorry."
Greta’s bottom lip trembled, and Yuuri hugged her close, fighting his own sadness.
Just then, Anissina breezed in. "The solution is simple, Your Majesty," Anissina said smoothly, and Yuuri gave her a perplexed look. "We’ll put him into suspended animation. I guarantee there won’t be any lasting harm, and he’ll remain the same until we figure out how to cure him. Gunter’s quite familiar with the device I’m speaking of." Anissina frowned as she turned to Gwendal. "But what’s wrong with your eye?" She grabbed Gwendal’s face and turned it as she stared at him. "Ah, yes, you were a key. So I take it that this means…" She let go of Gwendal’s chin and turned to prod at Conrad’s arm. Shori felt a flash of guilt as he realized that he hadn’t even noticed their handicaps. "I suppose there’s nothing I can do about any of this yet," Anissina decided with a small sigh. "But make sure you’re available for tests! I know I can make a wonderful invention that can assist you."
Conrad shook his head, his eyes remaining fixed on Wolfram’s body. Gwendal took a measured step away from her.
"Conrad?" Yuuri said hesitantly, and Conrad straightened, waiting for him to continue. "Did you know he was a key?"
Conrad frowned and remained silent. Shori narrowed his eyes.
"It’s my fault," Celi said with a sigh, brushing back strands of Wolfram’s hair from his forehead. "When I discovered that both Conrad and Gwendal were keys, I thought that there might be a chance Wolfram was one as well. I thought that it would be a coincidence."
"It wasn’t a coincidence," Murata stated. "The three keys had been decided a long time ago."
"Then… then why didn’t anyone say anything?" Yuuri wondered. "If everyone knew he was a key, then why…?"
"Wolfram didn’t seem to realize that he was a key," Celi said, "and I thought that it would be better if he never knew…" She sniffled delicately and brushed tears from her cheeks.
"I think you should tell us the truth now, friend of my brother," Shori said, fixing his eyes on Murata. "I’m tired of all these omissions and half-truths."
Murata turned his head toward Yuuri, his glasses glinting in the torchlight.
"I want to know the truth as well, Murata." Yuuri agreed. "Please."
Murata sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. He spoke calmly and with the barest of inflections. "It was peaceful for a very long time, but the threat of war always loomed over us. There was a period of time when war with the humans seemed more of a possibility than ever before. Shinou was ill and unable to continue several of his duties." Murata clasped his hands behind his back. "I discovered that Shinou had been infected with Soushu’s dark energies, and that one day, Shinou would become like the very enemy we had struggled so hard to win against. So we came up with a plan to keep Shinou’s soul safe and protected in the shrine, and we would separate the boxes in order to prevent Shinou’s possession from being completed. That’s why one of the boxes was sent to earth. But now that we have all four boxes assembled, it appears that Soushu’s power has taken over Shinou completely."
"If that’s true," Yuuri said, "then our enemy is Shinou himself."
"It’s not completely hopeless," Shori said. "He only got three keys. He isn’t omnipotent—we can still win."
"Your Majesty," Gunter said softly, "I did find something. If you would wait a moment?" Gunter left the room; when he came back, he was carrying a small leather-bound book. "I found this in a hidden compartment in the library," he confessed. "From what I’ve read so far, I believe it might be the journal of Erhard von Wincott. It might provide information we could use against Shinou."
"Good," Yuuri nodded vigorously and stood. "I want to go fight him right now! There’s too much at stake to wait around for him to strike first!"
Conrad stepped forward. "I will go with you."
Josak smirked at Yuuri and crossed his arms. "I’m going, too. I just can’t pass up the opportunity to kick Shinou’s ass."
Shori found Josak’s enthusiasm infectious. On one hand, his brother would be going directly into certain danger, again. On the other, now that they knew what they were facing, the outcome could potentially be much better. However, Gwendal’s sight was now impaired, and Conrad’s arm was altogether useless. No matter which way you looked at it, it was all a mess. "Yuu-chan, I want to go, too."
"Shori?" Yuuri said, a small frown tilting the corners of his mouth down. "I don’t think that’ll be a good idea. You can’t control your magic, and you can’t fight."
"I’m not completely useless!" Shori insisted, feeling as though he were begging.
"I want you to stay here, Shori. Okay?"
"No, it’s not okay!" Shori glared at Yuuri and gestured toward Conrad and Gwendal. "You’re letting them go! I’m not injured—I want to go, too."
"It’s my decision, Shori," Yuuri declared. "I want you here. Please."
Shori heaved out an angry breath and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "I’ll tell Mom," he said mulishly. It was the prerogative of an older brother—if you weren’t allowed to do what you wanted; at the very least you could make your brother’s life difficult at home.
Yuuri blanched and grimaced. "That’s not fair!" He shook his head. "Fine, then. You stay here, and you can tell Mom whatever you want."
Shori scowled. Gwendal gave Yuuri a small nod and left the room without a word.
Murata gave Yuuri a considering look. "Are you sure you know what you’re doing?"
"Of course!" Yuuri said, nodding firmly. "I don't care if the one there is Soushu or Shinou… maybe this way I can save Wolfram. No." His eyes darkened, and he continued seriously, "I will definitely save Wolfram."
Gisela smiled warmly at the king’s determination, bowed to him, and left with Gunter.
Anissina planted her hands on her hips. "We should get Wolfram in place. Any volunteers?"
"I got him," Josak announced. Conrad looked wistfully at his brother as Josak picked him up. He slipped into his usual position just behind Yuuri and followed them out of the room.
Shori sighed and ran a hand through his hair, cutting his eyes to the side to look at Ulrike, who was watching him serenely. He had forgotten she was even in the room.
Ulrike stood and folded her hands before her. "I believe you can regain control over your Maryoku, Shori-sama. Please allow me to help you."
Shori stared at her. "If it will allow me to protect Yuuri." He paused. "Please."
Ulrike smiled. "I’m a little tired right now. Could I rest for a bit before we begin?" Shori remembered that she and the other shrine maidens had been the ones keeping the boxes under control for so long in the first place and nodded quickly, embarrassed at his thoughtlessness.
"If you’ll excuse me," he fumbled for the words and made a quick escape.
*
Shori found himself pacing the length of his room, searching for a way to burn his nervous energy. He didn’t trust himself to practice with his maryoku without supervision, so that was out until Ulrike felt strong enough. Everyone seemed to be in a flurry of activity, either preparing for the second trip to Shinou’s temple or struggling with the upkeep in the middle of everything. He felt bored, useless, and weak, as he’d felt almost the entire time he’d been here in his brother’s world. It didn’t work to make his mood any better.
There was a knock at the door. Shori didn’t bother granting entrance. Instead of Ulrike, whom he’d been expecting, it was Conrad again. Shori didn’t appreciate the mirroring circumstances from earlier that morning. "What do you want?" he snapped.
Conrad remained silent and watched Shori pace until Shori sighed and faced the soldier. "What?"
Conrad looked out the window. "They’re putting Wolfram into suspended animation. In this state, I’m not exactly helpful."
Shori gave Conrad an exasperated look. "And yet, look who gets to stay behind."
Conrad took a breath and paused. After a long moment, he exhaled. "I just wanted to say—"
"I’m not interested in what you have to say," Shori said, and tossed himself into an armchair next to the fireplace.
"We will protect him for you," Conrad stated softly.
Shori ignored Conrad’s words. "Don’t say it again. I don’t want you to have another opportunity to lie." Conrad lowered his head. Conrad’s acceptance of Shori’s words made him want to lash out even more. "You’re a coward, Conrad," Shori said. Conrad’s head whipped up, and Shori was pleased at the mixed emotion etched in his features. "I think you hide behind your duty and do everything Yuuri says because you’re afraid of contesting him when he’s wrong. It’s like you can’t bear to disagree with him. That’s not bravery or loyalty. It’s just…" Shori shook his head.
"Maybe you’re right." Conrad walked over to him. "Does that change anything?"
Shori shrugged. "Not really."
"Yuuri only wants to keep you safe," Conrad said.
"That isn’t his job," Shori snapped. "I should be keeping him safe. You could all die, and I’d be stuck here at this castle waiting to be murdered."
"In which case, I would regret it if I didn’t do this."
Shori hadn’t realized that Conrad was so close until Conrad hooked his fingers beneath Shori’s jaw, tilted his head up, and kissed him.
It lasted exactly six beats. Shori could count it because his heart thudded in his ears exactly six times. The rim of his glasses pressed into his cheek, and he could see Conrad’s eyelashes because his eyes hadn’t closed. Conrad’s mouth was warm and a little chapped, and then Shori pulled away.
"What did you do that for?" Shori asked, and Conrad just watched him calmly.
"Was that brave enough for you?" Conrad asked quietly. "Or should I be braver?"
Shori was flushed, light-headed and breathless: all incipient signs of a panic attack. He pushed Conrad away and bolted out of the chair. "I can’t believe you."
"I apologize," Conrad said. "I know your world has certain—"
Shori narrowed his eyes and looked defiantly at Conrad. "I’m not Yuuri."
Conrad blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"Just… just because you can’t have him," Shori’s voice wavered, "…and he’s preoccupied with Wolfram, that doesn’t mean I can be some sort of… of convenient substitute."
Conrad took a step back and he tilted his head, studying Shori. "I think you’ve misunderstood."
"What is there to understand?" Shori asked. "You obviously don’t go from arguing to… to that unless there’s a reason."
Conrad’s eyes warmed. "I have one."
"A good reason," Shori amended, taking another step back. The longer Conrad spent looking at him like that, the younger he felt. It was making his skin crawl. They stared at each other for a while, neither making a move to diffuse the tension. Eventually, Conrad inclined his head politely and headed for the door.
Shori’s heart leapt and he took a step forward. "Conrad."
Conrad turned around so fast that his scabbard hit him in the back of the knee. "Yes?"
The words stuck in his throat. "Keep him safe for me."
An unreadable emotion flickered over Conrad’s face, and he nodded once before leaving.
*
By the time Ulrike showed up for his lessons, Shori had almost convinced himself that the kiss was a product over his overtired and extraordinary imagination, and that’s all there was to it. Then he got irritated at himself for thinking that he was deluded when he knew very well that if anyone were having issues, it was obviously Conrad Weller, not Shori Shibuya.
He struggled for control over his maryoku, pausing only once when he watched Yuuri leave for Shinou’s temple. "How fast can this be done?" he asked Ulrike.
"It can’t be rushed, Shori-sama," Ulrike said gently. "You must be calm." Shori, however, didn’t see that happening fast enough to suit him. He was a genius—he was going to be the youngest governor in years; he should be able to do something as basic as move water out of the basin in front of him. "Do you think Shinou is really against us?" Ulrike asked.
Shori stared out the window as he thought, and finally shrugged. "I don’t know what I could say about Shinou, but I don’t trust the friend of my brother at all."
*
Several hours of intensive study later, Shori was able to manipulate the water a little, although it wasn’t near enough to keep up with his exacting standards and basically useless if he were to attempt to save Yuuri with his maryoku. He put his hands in front of him, concentrating his will and forming shapes in the liquid.
The sound of horses clattered into the courtyard, and Ulrike got up to look out the window. She gasped, and Shori lost his concentration, the water spilling back into the bowl.
"What is it?" he asked.
"His Majesty and His Highness aren’t with them!" Ulrike wrung her hands. "I must find out what happened!"
Yu-chan and his friend were… Shori blinked, and several questions that had been bugging him since the whole situation began fell into place. He held out a hand to prevent her from leaving. "You can’t go. I need you to practice."
"But His Majesty is—"
"I know that!" Shori exclaimed. "But we—I can’t do anything for him if he’s already gone! I need to be stronger! I need to save him. I can’t do this without you. I need to master my maryoku." He looked down at the basin, hands clenching in frustration. "Am I the only one who thinks what’s going on isn’t normal?"
"What do you mean?’ Ulrike asked.
"Haven’t you ever wondered about any of this?" Shori sighed. "I was suspicious from the beginning. Why was Yuuri, of all people, chosen to be the maou of this kingdom? And the forbidden boxes. They were all lost for thousands of years, and in months Yuuri managed to rediscover all of them?" He rubbed a hand through his hair. "Yuuri’s best friend just happens to be the reincarnation of the Great Sage?" He looked at Ulrike as he delivered his final point. "It wasn’t a coincidence that Gwendal, Conrad, and Wolfram were keys. Shinou has betrayed all of you, and I’d bet his Great Sage knew every step of the way. You are all so used to slavishly following his orders that you don’t even notice an obvious set-up." He turned back to the basin and pummeled the water with his maryoku.
"I still believe in Shinou," Ulrike said, squeezing her hands together so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I’ve been at his temple for so long, and he has always spoken to me with a kind voice."
"Believe in him all you want, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s responsible for all of this. I must save Yuuri." He thought of Conrad and his quiet declaration to protect Yuuri. The anger he expected didn’t come, just a leaden disappointment that lined his stomach and made him feel ill.
Shori simply didn’t know what had happened, and now he didn’t have the luxury of the time to find out. He felt a sudden kinship with the supporting characters of the anime his friends always watched—it was so difficult living off-screen; you missed far too much of the story.
*
It was dark when Shori finally mastered his maryoku. The castle had been in an uproar all day, with the keys being returned to their owners and Wolfram waking up (the best news that he’d heard), and the dolls reappearing around the kingdom. It was only a matter of time until they made their way to Blood Pledge Castle. He looked out the window and saw a sea of darkness marching toward them. Shori hated those dolls. They were creepy as all hell. He wondered how Bob and his parents were doing—if the dolls were showing up in Shinma koku again, there was a good chance they were also coming through the lake.
"I’ve got it," he told Ulrike. "You should rest."
Ulrike raised a hand to her forehead and swayed. Shori hurried to her side. "Ulrike!"
"I’m all right," she said. "We need to continue."
"I think I understand," Shori comforted her. "I can do this." He led her to the bed and left the room to find Gwendal. He would not be left behind this time. He found Gwendal, Conrad, Wolfram, Huber, and Josak in the war room, arguing about how they were going to manage the rescue operation.
"Excuse me," he said, and Gwendal glanced at him. "Ulrike and I can help get you to Shinou’s temple."
"Yuuri wanted you to stay out of harm’s way," Conrad protested.
Shori gave Conrad a level look. "I’ve mastered my maryoku, and my brother has been possessed by Shinou. I’m not useless, and I have a right to be there by his side." He turned to Gwendal. "Now that you three are back to normal, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t easily make it to the temple. I swear I can do this."
Josak shrugged. "It would be useful to have another person."
Conrad looked like he wanted to protest again, but sighed instead. "His maryoku is powerful," he agreed.
Gwendal steepled his fingers in front of him. "I’m listening."
Shori nodded. "All right. Ulrike and I aren’t very good at riding, so we’ll need a carriage. I was thinking about a bridge…"
*
Part 2
Title: Love is Supposed to be Easier Than This
Written for the KKM Christmas Fic and Art Exchange
Name of Author:
lunesqueName of Recipient:
srgt_s_venomPairings/Characters: Conrad/Shori
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Um. Smut. Basically canon through episode 71. Most of the dialogue in the second scene is taken directly from episode 73. Spoilers for the rest of the series. I’ll say it again: Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers. Events are slightly mutated to fit the confines of the story.
Disclaimer: I don’t own them. But damn, I really wish I did.
Original Request: I'd like to see some Conrad/Shouri. NC17, please. Sideplot is always lovely, and I'd like to see their relationship develop from more than just Shouri's stand-offish behaviour to real trust, without being sappy or angsty. And please, no replacement!fic. Conrad should like/fall for Shouri for who he is.
Summary: Shori has issues. Conrad loves him anyway.
~*~
The air was misty, humid and heavy in Shori’s throat as he sat by the window, watching the reconstruction of Blood Pledge Castle. His memory of the day before was somewhat obscured—all he could really remember was the intense power welling up in him, the satisfaction of gaining enough strength to rival any of the mazoku in the castle, the desire to keep his younger brother from harm, and his mother, of all things. Shori sighed as his eyes drifted toward the builders once more, ashamed that he had so easily lost control over his majutsu. Yuuri might have forgiven him, and Shori was grateful for that, but there was a large part of him disgusted with his weakness. After all, according to the stories he’d heard, Yuuri had only used his powers for the good of those who had been wronged—Yuuri hadn’t gone mad from the strength of his gifts as Shori had. Shori brooded and stared out the window; the stormy, wicked-looking sky above Shinou’s temple mirrored his dark mood.
Shori heard the door open and turned toward the entrance, half expecting Greta to appear and drag him out with the others. Instead of the human girl, however, Shori’s eyes caught on a beige uniform and calm, assessing brown eyes. Shori scowled, defensively crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes?" he asked cautiously; although his animosity toward Weller had cooled a little since their assault on Shinou’s temple to find the truth behind the seals on the forbidden boxes, he still found himself uncomfortable and resentful every time he saw Conrad. After all, Conrad had no magic whatsoever, but he still had a place by Yuuri’s side, while Shori could do nothing but watch as his younger brother became someone he wasn’t even sure he knew.
"I came to see how you were doing," Conrad said, unperturbed by Shori’s abruptness. "You seemed all right at breakfast, but appearances can be deceiving."
Shori shot Conrad a narrow glare. "I don’t think it’s any of your business."
Conrad inclined his head, acknowledging that Shori had a point. Shori turned back to the window, looked at the damaged wing of the castle, and shook his head. "I still can’t believe I did that. That I lost control."
"No one blames you, Shori," Conrad said.
"I don’t care about that," Shori snapped. Conrad watched him silently for a long moment, and Shori sighed. "I could have hurt him. I would have hurt him then, if it could have kept him safe in the future." Having said a bit more than he intended, Shori shut his mouth, gritting his teeth against any more conversation.
Conrad came to his side and stared out the window. "His Majesty has already forgiven you."
Shori barked a bitter laugh. "He forgives too easily."
There was another silence between the two of them. Shori was about to ask what Conrad was still doing there when the other man spoke. "He trusts so implicitly that you feel as though you don’t deserve it."
"Sometimes," Shori admitted.
"It is part of what makes him such a good king, that ability to forgive." Conrad took a breath. "I believe that it is our duty to strive for his ideals. It’s easy to be kind. It’s easy to care. It’s hard to forgive yourself."
Shori scoffed, cutting his eyes to the side to look at Conrad. "What would you know about it?" The embers of his resentment flared up again. "You’re always by his side. You’re allowed to protect him."
Conrad smiled, a fleeting twist of his lips. "He forgives too easily," Conrad answered softly, and took a step back. "We’re almost ready to leave for the temple. Greta wishes to see us off." He inclined his head and was gone. Shori scowled after him, although Conrad could not see his expression, and wondered why he felt as though he were missing something.
*
"What?" Shori exclaimed—he was quite certain he’d heard incorrectly. "You aren’t still seriously thinking of going through with this!" Yuuri was giving him the stubborn look that meant he had heard exactly that. "It’s too dangerous!" he insisted, and looked around the room for any sort of back up. The shrine maidens were too busy with their prayers to keep their attention on anything but the boxes, the friend of his brother was looking carefully concerned (not concerned enough, in Shori’s opinion), Gwendal was watching him suspiciously (but then, Gwendal always looked suspicious) and—
"You must trust His Majesty and His Highness!" Gunter was insisting, trying to placate Shori. Shori didn’t find his blind faith the least bit reassuring. He wanted to shout that Yuuri was only fifteen, that he was still a child. He needed to be protected, not led to the slaughter.
"Murata wouldn’t do anything to hurt me!" Yuuri agreed. "I trust him. Besides, I’m the king. This is my responsibility."
Shori heaved an angry sigh and turned to Conrad. "And you? What do you think?" He continued without waiting for a response. "You helped me get into the temple so we could find out what was really going on. Everyone can see those boxes are dangerous. We need to keep him away from them. Find some other way."
"I share your concern," Conrad replied thoughtfully. "However, I have faith in His Majesty, and follow his will." His hand dropped to the hilt of his sword. "We will keep him safe."
He felt a flush of anger creeping up the back of his neck. "Fine!" he spat, and folded his arms over his chest. He didn’t care that Yuuri was looking at him in disappointment (well, he did, but his precious younger brother’s safety was a much more pressing concern.) "Let’s do this as quickly as possible."
Yuuri took a deep breath and faced the boxes. After a long moment, Yuuri turned away and gave them a firm look.
Shori watched Yuuri carefully—as a concerned older brother, it was the least he could do. "Yuuri."
Yuuri broke into a helpless grin and scratched the back of his head. "So… what am I supposed to do?"
Shori blinked, and let out an exasperated noise. "Huh? What were you planning on doing, not even knowing how it’s done?’
Yuuri winced. "Well…"
Murata shook his head. "Now, now…" He turned to Gunter and gently transferred Ulrike into Gunter’s arms. "Excuse me a bit."
Ulrike continued to watch Murata with worried eyes, and Gunter squeezed her gently. "It’s all right. If we let His Majesty and His Highness handle things, it’ll turn out well for sure."
Murata went to Yuuri’s side. "The procedure isn’t that complicated."
Yuuri frowned, confused, and Shori fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Murata?’
"Use your maryoku to compress the barrier that Ulrike and the others put up."
Yuuri nodded. "So in other words, we’re shoving everything that came out of the box back in?"
"Right," Murata agreed. "It’s like shoving futons back in the closet they’re spilling out of and then quickly slamming the door shut."
Yuuri made a face. "That makes it easy to understand, but that analogy feels too much like housekeeping."
Murata ignored Yuuri as he continued. "Anyway, while Soushu is being held down, we again surround him with a barrier from above, just like wrapping things in a piece of cloth."
Yuuri sighed. "We’re not wrapping gifts, either…"
"Even if we can’t completely destroy Soushu, we can at least keep him trapped for another several thousand years," Murata finished.
Yuuri chewed on his lip thoughtfully. "Right. But, you know, this doesn’t seem like a permanent solution."
Murata laughed. "Do you think you can defeat Soushu, whom even Shinou could not defeat back then?"
Yuuri hesitated, "Well…"
Murata shrugged. "Besides, even Morgif, who fought together with Shinou, is no longer as powerful as he was back then." Morgif groaned a loud protest.
"But still…"
Shori took a step forward. "Yuuri, don’t push yourself too much. If there’s no other way, then you should focus on doing that for now. Don’t bite off more than you can chew."
Murata kept his eyes on Yuuri. "Shibuya. Even if the day comes when the seal weakens again, the Maou of that era will take care of it somehow."
"So you’re saying that we shouldn’t push it and let this chance go by. All right. I’ll just do everything I can right now." Yuuri walked up to the field raising his hands, and the boxes sparked with threat. Shori could feel the power focusing, tingling along his skin. There was a sharp, crackling sound and Yuuri stumbled away from the boxes, palms stung by the flood of the boxes’ energy.
"Yuuri!" Shori exclaimed, moving forward instinctively to support his brother.
"Shori!" Conrad said sternly, and Shori paused, looking back. "Shori. Leave everything to Yuuri."
"But…" Shori trailed off at the firm look in Conrad’s eyes. He knew intellectually that Yuuri was a king and that all of this was his duty, but he couldn’t help the panic he felt at the thought of Yuuri being hurt. He thought that Conrad and Wolfram, of them all, would understand, but they were both strangely calm about the entire proceedings.
"Take your time and stay calm. Concentrate," Murata was saying to Yuuri.
Shori nodded and took a deep breath. "Keep it up, Yuu-chan. And your friend, too. If only I knew how to use maryoku properly…" Shori hated feeling so helpless, hated the fact that the most he could do was cheer them on from the sidelines. He had been given his power for a reason, and his sheer uselessness only heightened his frustration more.
Gwendal darted a look behind him as Conrad shifted restlessly. "Stay where you are, Conrad. It’s dangerous for us to approach the boxes."
Conrad glanced at Gwendal, giving him a slight nod. "Yes, I know that."
The only thing Shori could think about was how horrible the entire situation was—It was so easy to see. Forbidden boxes! Two of the keys in the same room! A miasma of energy that was so evil it was visible! In his humble opinion, you didn’t need to be a genius to know something bad was going on.
Yuuri took a breath and eased forward, pressing Soushu’s energy back. "Okay. A bit more. Just… a bit more…"
There was a sudden clash of metal behind them, and both Yuuri and Shori turned at the sound to see Conrad parrying Wolfram’s thrust. "What?" Yuuri called out in shock. "Wolfram?"
Murata shouted, "Watch out! Shibuya!"
Shori ripped his eyes away from Conrad and Wolfram just in time to see Yuuri lose control. The murk of the boxes swelled and grew heavy, pushing Yuuri back yet again.
Conrad blocked another blow from Wolfram. "What has happened to you, Wolfram? Come to your senses!" Wolfram ignored him, eyes dark and rimmed red with exhaustion as he struck once more.
"What is he doing?" Shori asked.
Gunter stared at Wolfram and Conrad. "Wolfram…"
Gwendal frowned, forehead wrinkling in disbelief. "Impossible. Don’t tell me that you’ve been possessed by the miasma, Wolfram."
Ulrike shook her head, horrified and watching Wolfram helplessly. "This can’t be…"
Yuuri looked back again. "Wolfram… What’s going on?" The boxes gained in strength abruptly and sent Yuuri flying.
"Yuuri!" Shori shouted as he ran to his brother. He kneeled next to Yuuri, pressing a hand to his brother’s back. The miasma flared again, and he glared at Murata. "Hey! Friend of my brother! What’s the meaning of this?!"
Murata ignored Shori, staring into the nexus of energy as a figure began to appear. Softly, he said, "So it really was you… "
Shori peered at the boxes. After a long moment, he murmured, "Someone’s there."
Wolfram rushed at Conrad, pushing him off his feet. Immediately after he disarmed his brother, Wolfram dropped his sword and stood silently in place, as though he were a marionette with its strings cut.
Yuuri pulled himself to his feet, stepping away from Shori. "Wolfram!"
"Was he being manipulated by someone?" Shori asked.
Murata leapt to his feet just as the miasma flared brightly, the shockwave of the energy rolling through the room. Shori wrapped his arms around Yuuri and grunted as he skidded across the floor, his only thought to keep his brother uninjured. They came to a stop as they hit a wall, and Shori squinted into the light. The light finally died, and Shori was surprised to discover that the only person who remained standing during the onslaught was Wolfram. He felt almost nauseous with terror. It was hard to believe that they were all so easily defeated, especially after Weller had promised so firmly to keep his brother safe.
The figure Shori had seen at the nexus of box energy alighted onto the stairs. It was as substantial as a shadow. At this point, Shori was nearly convinced that nothing that occurred in this world, and more specifically, this temple, would surprise him.
Then the shadow talked. "It has been a long time. I have been awaiting this moment for so long." Yuuri pulled away from Shori as they stared at the shadowy figure. "Now. It is time for my revival. Come to me, O keys."
A gesture, and tendrils of darkness spilled from the man’s hand, darting to Conrad and wrapping around him securely. Shori tensed, torn between wanting to help and needing to keep Yuuri safe.
"Conrad!" Yuuri shouted.
The shadowed man continued quietly, "You, who have inherited the Weller blood…" He raised his other hand, and looked at Gwendal. "You, who have inherited the Voltaire blood…" Darkness slid from his hand to rope tightly around Gwendal.
Shori grabbed Yuuri’s arm, ignoring the way Yuuri tugged frantically against his grip. "Gwendal! Let them go, you bastard!"
"Yuuri!" Conrad cried out in warning, but Yuuri ignored him as well, pulling free of Shori and reaching out to disrupt the vespers that trapped his retainers. The darkness sizzled and snapped, and Yuuri cried out in surprise.
"Your Majesty!" Gunter shouted, and pulled his sword from its sheath in rage, running toward the man who had dared harm his king. "I will not allow this madness!" Gunter swung his sword in a wide arc, and grunted as the blade impacted on nothing and pushed him back.
"You dare wield your sword against your true master?" the man asked mildly.
"What?!" Gunter asked. Shori rested his hand on Yuuri’s shoulder, his hold tightening as the man looked around the room.
"The time has come. Abide by your pledges and give me the keys that I entrusted to you."
Yuuri pulled away from Shori and took a step closer. "Conrad!"
Conrad’s eyes were dark with worry as he turned toward Yuuri and shouted, "No, your majesty!"
Shori scrambled to his feet and hurried after Yuuri, who had ignored Conrad’s plea and was still trying to save them. "Stay back!" Gwendal demanded, struggling against his bonds, and Yuuri stopped in his tracks.
"But…"
"Now!" the man gestured once more. Shori’s heart climbed into his throat as they began to yelled out in pain. He stumbled the few steps to his brother, yanking him backward.
"Stop!" Yuuri screamed, struggling against Shori. Shori gritted his teeth and hung on, wondering when his brother had gotten so strong, the only thought in his mind to keep Yuuri safe. He felt a sharp pang of worry as the shine of the two keys vanished into their boxes, wondering what that would do to Conrad and Gwendal and hoping against hope that they still had the opportunity to end it all.
Murata hadn’t moved throughout the entire ordeal, and Shori noted that and filed it into the back of his head to think about later His ears still rang from the explosive energy of the boxes and the desperate yells of his brother and his injured vassals.
Power was flooding into their enemy. "The End of the Wind and the End of the Land have been opened." He said. "That’s two of them." He released Conrad and Gwendal without another thought. "Now, come! You, who have inherited the Bielefelt blood…"
Yuuri twisted to look at Wolfram and yanked hard against Shori’s hands, almost managing to free himself once more. "Wolfram!"
"Yuuri!" Shori cried desperately.
"Let go, Shori!" Yuuri begged.
Shori shook his head. "No! There’s no way you can defeat him!" Shori lost his train of thought as he watched Wolfram make his way over to the boxes.
"Good work, my puppet. Your role is over as well." Yuuri screamed Wolfram’s name as the man reached over and pulled out Wolfram’s heart with almost no effort at all, black steam pouring from the point of contact. The man glanced at it before sending it to the third box. "That makes three." The man said almost conversationally, and began to take a clear form. Shori could see the blond hair and ice blue eyes, and he frowned, almost positive he had seen this man before. "In the Frozen Soil of Hellfire has also been opened." They all stared hopelessly at him.
"Shinou…" Murata whispered, and Yuuri twitched. Shori remembered the portraits he’d seen in the halls of Blood Pledge Castle, and he inhaled sharply.
"Your Majesty Shinou…" Ulrike said in a tremulous, disbelieving voice.
"We meet again at last, my Great Sage," Shinou said to Murata. "Will you not rejoice now that we’ve finally been reunited after several thousand years?"
"So it really was you," Murata murmured, unperturbed at the fact that a literal ghost from his past was standing before him.
"It’s good that we can speak directly to each other," Shinou said fondly, and looked down at his hand. "Oh. I’m still not whole. The last one is… Erhard."
He glided toward Yuuri, and Shori pulled his younger brother back, eyes firmly on Shinou as he retreated. ""Stay back." He warned. Morgif groaned an angry sound in agreement.
Shinou looked at Morgif as he advanced. "Have you forgotten your true master as well, Morgif?"
Morgif blinked and wailed in confusion. Shori and Yuuri withdrew two more steps as Shinou raised his hand. Shori was already calculating the space between them multiplied by how fast Shinou attacked against their tactical retreat minus Yuuri’s absolute refusal to leave anyone behind when Conrad and Gwendal planted themselves solidly in front of them as a barrier against Shinou.
"Conrad!" Yuuri cried desperately. "Gwendal!"
Shinou eyed the two of them coldly. "I no longer need the two of you." He waved his hand and shoved them out of his way with his magic. "The one I need is…" Shinou fixed his eyes on Yuuri once more and stalked forward.
"Now!" Murata shouted. "Josak!"
Josak pushed through the shrine doors and ran forward, passing Yuuri and Shori. Shori’s jaw dropped. " Leave it to me!" Josak somersaulted through the air and landed on a tile that sank beneath his weight. Shori blinked as water cascaded around Shinou.
"What’s going on?" Yuuri asked blankly.
"Even he won’t be able to get out of that barrier so quickly!" Murata announced. "Hurry up and run!" Shori prodded his brother, acknowledging the opportunity that Murata had given them, even if he didn’t trust him.
"But…" Yuuri hesitated.
Shori was tempted to throw Yuuri over his shoulder, but settled for a scowl instead. "Just do as your friend says for now!" He yanked at Yuuri again, and breathed a sigh of relief as Yuuri finally followed him He had to get Yuuri to safety. Everything else could wait.
*
It wasn’t until they were all safely back at Blood Pledge Castle that everything began to sink in. They had all almost died. Wolfram’s heart had stopped. They had failed miserably, and one of their own had paid the ultimate price.
Greta had planted herself at Wolfram’s bedside, searching his face for any sign of life with worried and tearful eyes. They were all gathered anxiously, and Shori was alternately angry at his own weakness and relieved that he wasn’t spending this stressful time alone. He couldn’t understand why they were all here—it only made sense for a couple of people to be watching Wolfram. The rest of them needed to think about a plan regarding Shinou, because as long as he was around, Yuuri was still in danger.
He looked over at Conrad, and scoffed. Conrad glanced at him warily. "You said you’d protect him," Shori said bitterly. "You can’t even protect your own brother. It was stupid of me to think you people were strong enough to rely on."
"That isn’t fair, Shori," Yuuri protested, tearing his eyes from Wolfram long enough to give Shori a disappointed glance. "Conrad and everyone have always protected me. It’s my fault this happened…" He looked at Wolfram. "If I could have held out against Shinou and the boxes, it would’ve been okay."
Yuuri stopped talking as Gisela entered the room. She bowed and took a place at Wolfram’s side. "I got here as soon as I could," she said, and closed her eyes, placing her hands over Wolfram’s heart as she began to glow. Dark energy sparked off of Wolfram’s body, and Gisela winced, turning miserable eyes to Yuuri. "I can’t heal him. There’s a dark aura around him that won’t allow me to use my maryoku. I’m sorry."
Greta’s bottom lip trembled, and Yuuri hugged her close, fighting his own sadness.
Just then, Anissina breezed in. "The solution is simple, Your Majesty," Anissina said smoothly, and Yuuri gave her a perplexed look. "We’ll put him into suspended animation. I guarantee there won’t be any lasting harm, and he’ll remain the same until we figure out how to cure him. Gunter’s quite familiar with the device I’m speaking of." Anissina frowned as she turned to Gwendal. "But what’s wrong with your eye?" She grabbed Gwendal’s face and turned it as she stared at him. "Ah, yes, you were a key. So I take it that this means…" She let go of Gwendal’s chin and turned to prod at Conrad’s arm. Shori felt a flash of guilt as he realized that he hadn’t even noticed their handicaps. "I suppose there’s nothing I can do about any of this yet," Anissina decided with a small sigh. "But make sure you’re available for tests! I know I can make a wonderful invention that can assist you."
Conrad shook his head, his eyes remaining fixed on Wolfram’s body. Gwendal took a measured step away from her.
"Conrad?" Yuuri said hesitantly, and Conrad straightened, waiting for him to continue. "Did you know he was a key?"
Conrad frowned and remained silent. Shori narrowed his eyes.
"It’s my fault," Celi said with a sigh, brushing back strands of Wolfram’s hair from his forehead. "When I discovered that both Conrad and Gwendal were keys, I thought that there might be a chance Wolfram was one as well. I thought that it would be a coincidence."
"It wasn’t a coincidence," Murata stated. "The three keys had been decided a long time ago."
"Then… then why didn’t anyone say anything?" Yuuri wondered. "If everyone knew he was a key, then why…?"
"Wolfram didn’t seem to realize that he was a key," Celi said, "and I thought that it would be better if he never knew…" She sniffled delicately and brushed tears from her cheeks.
"I think you should tell us the truth now, friend of my brother," Shori said, fixing his eyes on Murata. "I’m tired of all these omissions and half-truths."
Murata turned his head toward Yuuri, his glasses glinting in the torchlight.
"I want to know the truth as well, Murata." Yuuri agreed. "Please."
Murata sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. He spoke calmly and with the barest of inflections. "It was peaceful for a very long time, but the threat of war always loomed over us. There was a period of time when war with the humans seemed more of a possibility than ever before. Shinou was ill and unable to continue several of his duties." Murata clasped his hands behind his back. "I discovered that Shinou had been infected with Soushu’s dark energies, and that one day, Shinou would become like the very enemy we had struggled so hard to win against. So we came up with a plan to keep Shinou’s soul safe and protected in the shrine, and we would separate the boxes in order to prevent Shinou’s possession from being completed. That’s why one of the boxes was sent to earth. But now that we have all four boxes assembled, it appears that Soushu’s power has taken over Shinou completely."
"If that’s true," Yuuri said, "then our enemy is Shinou himself."
"It’s not completely hopeless," Shori said. "He only got three keys. He isn’t omnipotent—we can still win."
"Your Majesty," Gunter said softly, "I did find something. If you would wait a moment?" Gunter left the room; when he came back, he was carrying a small leather-bound book. "I found this in a hidden compartment in the library," he confessed. "From what I’ve read so far, I believe it might be the journal of Erhard von Wincott. It might provide information we could use against Shinou."
"Good," Yuuri nodded vigorously and stood. "I want to go fight him right now! There’s too much at stake to wait around for him to strike first!"
Conrad stepped forward. "I will go with you."
Josak smirked at Yuuri and crossed his arms. "I’m going, too. I just can’t pass up the opportunity to kick Shinou’s ass."
Shori found Josak’s enthusiasm infectious. On one hand, his brother would be going directly into certain danger, again. On the other, now that they knew what they were facing, the outcome could potentially be much better. However, Gwendal’s sight was now impaired, and Conrad’s arm was altogether useless. No matter which way you looked at it, it was all a mess. "Yuu-chan, I want to go, too."
"Shori?" Yuuri said, a small frown tilting the corners of his mouth down. "I don’t think that’ll be a good idea. You can’t control your magic, and you can’t fight."
"I’m not completely useless!" Shori insisted, feeling as though he were begging.
"I want you to stay here, Shori. Okay?"
"No, it’s not okay!" Shori glared at Yuuri and gestured toward Conrad and Gwendal. "You’re letting them go! I’m not injured—I want to go, too."
"It’s my decision, Shori," Yuuri declared. "I want you here. Please."
Shori heaved out an angry breath and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "I’ll tell Mom," he said mulishly. It was the prerogative of an older brother—if you weren’t allowed to do what you wanted; at the very least you could make your brother’s life difficult at home.
Yuuri blanched and grimaced. "That’s not fair!" He shook his head. "Fine, then. You stay here, and you can tell Mom whatever you want."
Shori scowled. Gwendal gave Yuuri a small nod and left the room without a word.
Murata gave Yuuri a considering look. "Are you sure you know what you’re doing?"
"Of course!" Yuuri said, nodding firmly. "I don't care if the one there is Soushu or Shinou… maybe this way I can save Wolfram. No." His eyes darkened, and he continued seriously, "I will definitely save Wolfram."
Gisela smiled warmly at the king’s determination, bowed to him, and left with Gunter.
Anissina planted her hands on her hips. "We should get Wolfram in place. Any volunteers?"
"I got him," Josak announced. Conrad looked wistfully at his brother as Josak picked him up. He slipped into his usual position just behind Yuuri and followed them out of the room.
Shori sighed and ran a hand through his hair, cutting his eyes to the side to look at Ulrike, who was watching him serenely. He had forgotten she was even in the room.
Ulrike stood and folded her hands before her. "I believe you can regain control over your Maryoku, Shori-sama. Please allow me to help you."
Shori stared at her. "If it will allow me to protect Yuuri." He paused. "Please."
Ulrike smiled. "I’m a little tired right now. Could I rest for a bit before we begin?" Shori remembered that she and the other shrine maidens had been the ones keeping the boxes under control for so long in the first place and nodded quickly, embarrassed at his thoughtlessness.
"If you’ll excuse me," he fumbled for the words and made a quick escape.
*
Shori found himself pacing the length of his room, searching for a way to burn his nervous energy. He didn’t trust himself to practice with his maryoku without supervision, so that was out until Ulrike felt strong enough. Everyone seemed to be in a flurry of activity, either preparing for the second trip to Shinou’s temple or struggling with the upkeep in the middle of everything. He felt bored, useless, and weak, as he’d felt almost the entire time he’d been here in his brother’s world. It didn’t work to make his mood any better.
There was a knock at the door. Shori didn’t bother granting entrance. Instead of Ulrike, whom he’d been expecting, it was Conrad again. Shori didn’t appreciate the mirroring circumstances from earlier that morning. "What do you want?" he snapped.
Conrad remained silent and watched Shori pace until Shori sighed and faced the soldier. "What?"
Conrad looked out the window. "They’re putting Wolfram into suspended animation. In this state, I’m not exactly helpful."
Shori gave Conrad an exasperated look. "And yet, look who gets to stay behind."
Conrad took a breath and paused. After a long moment, he exhaled. "I just wanted to say—"
"I’m not interested in what you have to say," Shori said, and tossed himself into an armchair next to the fireplace.
"We will protect him for you," Conrad stated softly.
Shori ignored Conrad’s words. "Don’t say it again. I don’t want you to have another opportunity to lie." Conrad lowered his head. Conrad’s acceptance of Shori’s words made him want to lash out even more. "You’re a coward, Conrad," Shori said. Conrad’s head whipped up, and Shori was pleased at the mixed emotion etched in his features. "I think you hide behind your duty and do everything Yuuri says because you’re afraid of contesting him when he’s wrong. It’s like you can’t bear to disagree with him. That’s not bravery or loyalty. It’s just…" Shori shook his head.
"Maybe you’re right." Conrad walked over to him. "Does that change anything?"
Shori shrugged. "Not really."
"Yuuri only wants to keep you safe," Conrad said.
"That isn’t his job," Shori snapped. "I should be keeping him safe. You could all die, and I’d be stuck here at this castle waiting to be murdered."
"In which case, I would regret it if I didn’t do this."
Shori hadn’t realized that Conrad was so close until Conrad hooked his fingers beneath Shori’s jaw, tilted his head up, and kissed him.
It lasted exactly six beats. Shori could count it because his heart thudded in his ears exactly six times. The rim of his glasses pressed into his cheek, and he could see Conrad’s eyelashes because his eyes hadn’t closed. Conrad’s mouth was warm and a little chapped, and then Shori pulled away.
"What did you do that for?" Shori asked, and Conrad just watched him calmly.
"Was that brave enough for you?" Conrad asked quietly. "Or should I be braver?"
Shori was flushed, light-headed and breathless: all incipient signs of a panic attack. He pushed Conrad away and bolted out of the chair. "I can’t believe you."
"I apologize," Conrad said. "I know your world has certain—"
Shori narrowed his eyes and looked defiantly at Conrad. "I’m not Yuuri."
Conrad blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"Just… just because you can’t have him," Shori’s voice wavered, "…and he’s preoccupied with Wolfram, that doesn’t mean I can be some sort of… of convenient substitute."
Conrad took a step back and he tilted his head, studying Shori. "I think you’ve misunderstood."
"What is there to understand?" Shori asked. "You obviously don’t go from arguing to… to that unless there’s a reason."
Conrad’s eyes warmed. "I have one."
"A good reason," Shori amended, taking another step back. The longer Conrad spent looking at him like that, the younger he felt. It was making his skin crawl. They stared at each other for a while, neither making a move to diffuse the tension. Eventually, Conrad inclined his head politely and headed for the door.
Shori’s heart leapt and he took a step forward. "Conrad."
Conrad turned around so fast that his scabbard hit him in the back of the knee. "Yes?"
The words stuck in his throat. "Keep him safe for me."
An unreadable emotion flickered over Conrad’s face, and he nodded once before leaving.
*
By the time Ulrike showed up for his lessons, Shori had almost convinced himself that the kiss was a product over his overtired and extraordinary imagination, and that’s all there was to it. Then he got irritated at himself for thinking that he was deluded when he knew very well that if anyone were having issues, it was obviously Conrad Weller, not Shori Shibuya.
He struggled for control over his maryoku, pausing only once when he watched Yuuri leave for Shinou’s temple. "How fast can this be done?" he asked Ulrike.
"It can’t be rushed, Shori-sama," Ulrike said gently. "You must be calm." Shori, however, didn’t see that happening fast enough to suit him. He was a genius—he was going to be the youngest governor in years; he should be able to do something as basic as move water out of the basin in front of him. "Do you think Shinou is really against us?" Ulrike asked.
Shori stared out the window as he thought, and finally shrugged. "I don’t know what I could say about Shinou, but I don’t trust the friend of my brother at all."
*
Several hours of intensive study later, Shori was able to manipulate the water a little, although it wasn’t near enough to keep up with his exacting standards and basically useless if he were to attempt to save Yuuri with his maryoku. He put his hands in front of him, concentrating his will and forming shapes in the liquid.
The sound of horses clattered into the courtyard, and Ulrike got up to look out the window. She gasped, and Shori lost his concentration, the water spilling back into the bowl.
"What is it?" he asked.
"His Majesty and His Highness aren’t with them!" Ulrike wrung her hands. "I must find out what happened!"
Yu-chan and his friend were… Shori blinked, and several questions that had been bugging him since the whole situation began fell into place. He held out a hand to prevent her from leaving. "You can’t go. I need you to practice."
"But His Majesty is—"
"I know that!" Shori exclaimed. "But we—I can’t do anything for him if he’s already gone! I need to be stronger! I need to save him. I can’t do this without you. I need to master my maryoku." He looked down at the basin, hands clenching in frustration. "Am I the only one who thinks what’s going on isn’t normal?"
"What do you mean?’ Ulrike asked.
"Haven’t you ever wondered about any of this?" Shori sighed. "I was suspicious from the beginning. Why was Yuuri, of all people, chosen to be the maou of this kingdom? And the forbidden boxes. They were all lost for thousands of years, and in months Yuuri managed to rediscover all of them?" He rubbed a hand through his hair. "Yuuri’s best friend just happens to be the reincarnation of the Great Sage?" He looked at Ulrike as he delivered his final point. "It wasn’t a coincidence that Gwendal, Conrad, and Wolfram were keys. Shinou has betrayed all of you, and I’d bet his Great Sage knew every step of the way. You are all so used to slavishly following his orders that you don’t even notice an obvious set-up." He turned back to the basin and pummeled the water with his maryoku.
"I still believe in Shinou," Ulrike said, squeezing her hands together so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I’ve been at his temple for so long, and he has always spoken to me with a kind voice."
"Believe in him all you want, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s responsible for all of this. I must save Yuuri." He thought of Conrad and his quiet declaration to protect Yuuri. The anger he expected didn’t come, just a leaden disappointment that lined his stomach and made him feel ill.
Shori simply didn’t know what had happened, and now he didn’t have the luxury of the time to find out. He felt a sudden kinship with the supporting characters of the anime his friends always watched—it was so difficult living off-screen; you missed far too much of the story.
*
It was dark when Shori finally mastered his maryoku. The castle had been in an uproar all day, with the keys being returned to their owners and Wolfram waking up (the best news that he’d heard), and the dolls reappearing around the kingdom. It was only a matter of time until they made their way to Blood Pledge Castle. He looked out the window and saw a sea of darkness marching toward them. Shori hated those dolls. They were creepy as all hell. He wondered how Bob and his parents were doing—if the dolls were showing up in Shinma koku again, there was a good chance they were also coming through the lake.
"I’ve got it," he told Ulrike. "You should rest."
Ulrike raised a hand to her forehead and swayed. Shori hurried to her side. "Ulrike!"
"I’m all right," she said. "We need to continue."
"I think I understand," Shori comforted her. "I can do this." He led her to the bed and left the room to find Gwendal. He would not be left behind this time. He found Gwendal, Conrad, Wolfram, Huber, and Josak in the war room, arguing about how they were going to manage the rescue operation.
"Excuse me," he said, and Gwendal glanced at him. "Ulrike and I can help get you to Shinou’s temple."
"Yuuri wanted you to stay out of harm’s way," Conrad protested.
Shori gave Conrad a level look. "I’ve mastered my maryoku, and my brother has been possessed by Shinou. I’m not useless, and I have a right to be there by his side." He turned to Gwendal. "Now that you three are back to normal, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t easily make it to the temple. I swear I can do this."
Josak shrugged. "It would be useful to have another person."
Conrad looked like he wanted to protest again, but sighed instead. "His maryoku is powerful," he agreed.
Gwendal steepled his fingers in front of him. "I’m listening."
Shori nodded. "All right. Ulrike and I aren’t very good at riding, so we’ll need a carriage. I was thinking about a bridge…"
*
Part 2