A/M: Lo and behold, looking through one of my very old USBs I found an extremely rough copy of the original Broken Trinity. Still not the ending I would have written had I still had the edited version of my story, but I figured it's better to at least post this much. I did a very minimum of editing on it but in the end I figured that the sooner I post this, the better, otherwise it'll probably rot in my archives again or worse, it'll be wiped out by another freak accident.

I apologize to all my readers. To be honest, I have long felt that this Kyou Kara Maou fanfic wasn't written with the best I could have offered, and in the end it was reading through my old chapters that seriously failed to motivate me to keep writing. If it weren't for all the amazing feedback I've received, both critical and complimentary, then I probably wouldn't have bothered even posting this ending. So I love you guys. Next time I venture in this fandom, I'll be sure to make it a lot better. Thank you for being with me through this entire fanfic. This is for you guys, and for starlight2005, best friend and the dinosaur collector.

Epilogue: Resolution

"Mother's being ridiculously cheerful," Wolfram complained, shaking his head. He let out an exasperated sigh at the sight of golden garlands and streamers bedecking the halls. "Honestly, we don't need all this fuss!"

Conrart chuckled. "Wolfram, we've been planning this wedding for a half a year now. You were the one who wanted it to be grandiose in the first place. Aren't you happy that mother's putting so much effort into it?"

Wolfram stuck his tongue out at him. "No! And the only reason I made all those ridiculous plans was because I was hyper at the time. I wasn't being serious!"

"Typical bridal stress," Jossak snickered.

The blonde prince aimed a well-placed tongue of fire at him, which he dodged by barely a hairpin turn. "The wedding isn't until next week, and please DON'T CALL ME A BRIDE UNLESS YOU WANT ROASTED JOSSAK TO BE THE MAIN COURSE OF MY WEDDING!"

"He likes to believe that he's the groom," Lady Cecilie clarified with a trill in her voice, her eyes all sparkly as she directed the servants to move the chairs.

"I do not like to believe that I am the groom," growled Wolfram, slamming a fist down on the table, sending the golden candleholders flying. "I just refuse to be seen as the weaker one in my relationship with that WIMP!"

Yuuri looked up from his book. "Wolf, love, honestly, they can call us whatever they want and I'll still be your wimp."

"Good line," Jossak said approvingly. "That'll keep him from blowing his top."

"IT WOULD HAVE IF YOU DIDN'T SPOIL IT!"

Gwendal looked up from his papers in irritation. "May I remind the two of you that I'm still working on the security details for the wedding?"

"Yeah, yeah, you have everything covered ranging from a demented sheep zooming in and a pirate crew kidnapping us. It's really unnecessary!" Yuuri protested. "It's not that we don't appreciate your efforts, but don't you think that it's kind of overkill?"

Murata spoke up for the first time. "Of course the safety of the king and royal consort are a top priority."

"Ah… yeah, of course," Yuuri said, abashed. Wolfram said nothing, merely lowered his head and started arranging the flowers on the table even though the maids had already taken care of it.

He still wasn't forgiven. A teardrop splashed on the table but he only pretended that it was water from the vase. It was poor acting, and he knew that Conrart and the others probably saw through it (let alone Murata). It had already been half a year, but there was still that wall between them. Maybe it hadn't helped that that half a year had been filled with his engagement to Yuuri and plans for their wedding, and maybe if Wolfram hadn't tried so hard to pretend that it was all right and they were all still a happy group, maybe then it would have been all right.

It wasn't even the fact that Murata still seemed to blame him that got on his nerves; it was the fact that Murata had just shut everyone out. He rarely spoke anymore, and he spent more time at the temple with Ulrike (honestly, Wolfram couldn't pretend that he wasn't a little bit jealous). He wanted to see the Great Sage smiling again.

"Wolf, you're mangling the flowers."

Wolfram blinked, releasing a handful of petals and leaves from decapitated stems onto the table. "Ah. I didn't quite like the color arrangement," he said haughtily. "I'm going to my room, okay?"

Ever since he and Yuuri had announced that their engagement had become official and that they would be setting a date for the wedding, Wolfram had insisted on getting his own room since it would be highly improper for the two of them to share one and he felt that he was being bothersome to the Great Sage.

Yuuri complained a lot about it since the only reason why Wolfram had moved in with him in the first place was because they were engaged and that he should just return to the royal chambers, but the prince stuck to it stubbornly.

Still, the only times Wolfram went there were to sleep, dress, and sulk. And seeing as he had the first two bases covered, Yuuri didn't really like knowing that his fiancé was worrying over something. He preferred having Wolfram talk about his problems with him—he was still wondering whether the demon was carrying a burden too intense for him to bear. He had gotten that feeling ever since Wolfram had recovered. "But, ah, Wolf…"

The prince silenced Yuuri with a look. Then he softened. "I think I'll go see Greta instead, then."

"Is he well?" Gwendal inquired when he was gone. His gaze was penetrating through Yuuri's flesh and bone. "You two haven't had a fight, have you?"

"No, of course not," Yuuri said, miffed. "He and I are getting along just great."

"Just pre-wedding jitters, I'm sure," Murata said calmly, trailing after Wolfram the way he used to. "No need to worry, Your Majesty."

"I guess he's right," Yuuri agreed when Murata was gone. "After all, we only have a little time left before the wedding."

"You lied to His Majesty," Murata said coolly as he followed Wolfram to his bedroom. "I think it can be considered treasonous."

Wolfram swallowed hard, ignoring the aloofness of his tone. He was willing to overlook almost anything in light of the fact that for the first time in a long while, Murata was actually following him. Usually he went out of his way to avoid him. "I did, but for good reason. I don't want him to worry about me. I don't think that he'll sentence me to death just for that." He opened his door and turned around. The Great Sage followed him in without waiting for an invitation. "Ah?"

Murata kept his gaze locked on Wolfram's. "I'm sorry that I'm breaching protocol right here and now, Lord von Bielefeld, but it can't be helped. I… wish to talk to you."

"You… want… to talk?" Wolfram felt his cheeks flushing and his heart beating uncontrollably. He had wanted to approach Murata so many times, and he had tried on occasion, but the Great Sage had invariably pushed him away. Murata had always been busy with something—some temple duty, going back home… and now, finally, they were talking alone.

"Yes, I did, Lord von Bielefeld."

"Please… Great Sage… could you just call me Wolfram?"

"I'm afraid I'm more comfortable with addressing you by your title right now. After all, it would be rather rude and forward for us to call each other by names when we have no ties to each other."

"Oh." There wasn't much else to say, was there? No ties… what a lovely way to call a few weeks together, a few weeks of being willing to die for each other. "Sorry." He bit his lip. "What exactly did you want to say?"

"I don't wish for you to worry about me anymore," he said flatly. "It's written all over your face. Lord Weller has been expressing his concern about the two of us, and frankly, it's bothersome."

Wolfram turned red and then white, the blood draining completely out of his face. "I'm… I'm sorry?"

"You heard what I said, didn't you?" Murata's eyes seemed to look through him instead of at him. "It irritates me! I don't want to hear any of it. After all, we were both just fooling around, weren't we?"

"Fooling… around?"

"Yeah. Until you got Shibuya. It was all supposed to be a temporary arrangement; I was bored, and you were desperate, I suppose. It was a bit of fun, I guess, but I have my duties and you have His Majesty. And now that it's over, I don't like it when people treat me like a sick little puppy just because of a quick fling. Shouldn't they be more worried about you? And the same goes for you worrying about me. I hate seeing you watch me like that. It's annoying."

"I… I see." Wolfram nodded slowly. "I'm sorry." He bowed, letting his body go on autopilot. As a nobleman, hadn't he gone through many awkward moments like this? He seemed to know exactly what to say even as his brain was going numb, screaming at him to say something. "I was mistaken in expressing anxiety over you. I'm afraid that I was overreacting to certain situations. In view of my emotional nature, I hope that you will forgive me."

The Great Sage turned to leave. "I apologize for the intrusion, Lord von Bielefeld. It was very rude of me."

The demon clenched his hands into fists. "I thought you loved me."

He paused, as though trying to frame his answer in the right words. "Perhaps I did, Lord von Bielefeld. On the other hand, did you really expect me to stay like this when you have His Majesty? You were sadly mistaken, weren't you? It was foolish and selfish to the extreme."

"Murata!"

"And I would prefer it if you called me Great Sage, although I'm sure that you know that as the consort apparent you are free to address me as you will."

Wolfram covered his mouth with his hand, biting back a sob. "All right, Great Sage. Thank you for enlightening me. Please leave."

Murata hesitated. "If you feel unwell, I can fetch His Majesty for you."

"No! Don't get Yuuri." Wolfram was leaning on the wall for support. "I'll be fine in a moment." Tears were leaking out of the corners of his eyes even though he was trying to hold them back. "It's just… my heart hurts."

"I beg your pardon?"

"My head hurts," Wolfram corrected himself. "I'll be fine by myself. You may go."

Murata said nothing as he left. The moment he closed the door behind him, he sighed as he leaned against it. The hurt in Wolfram's eyes… would he ever be able to forget it? Damn it, it's not like I wanted to… He sighed. It was what was best for the both of them… there was no other way to handle it.

"Eh?" Yuuri said as he passed by. "What's up, Murata?"

"Nothing at all, Your Majesty. I believe Lord von Bielefeld is feeling unwell at the moment, though."

"I thought he was with Greta."

The Great Sage shook his head. "No, he didn't go to see Princess Greta. He is currently inside. Perhaps it would be wise to see him."

"O… okay. Are you all right, Murata? You look kind of funny."

He nodded stiffly. "Of course, Your Majesty. And if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the temple."

"Why do you always stay there now anyway? You used to spend a lot more time here in the castle."

He let out a low laugh. "Perhaps there, I can find some measure of peace… even if I can never forget."

"Wolf?"

The prince was curled up on his bed, tears still dripping from his eyes. "Did he send you? I told him not to," he said, hiccupping as he wiped at his runny nose. "I said that I would be fine in a bit."

Yuuri held out a handkerchief to him. "Here." He dabbed at the demon's face. "What's wrong?"

"Just a headache," Wolfram whispered.

"I… I don't understand what's going on between you two… but…"

"What do you mean?" Wolfram asked.

"I'm not completely oblivious, Wolf, even though I probably act like it sometimes. I don't know… are you two, ah, involved?" Yuuri stroked his hair. "I mean… you were sleeping in his room. And sometimes I caught Conrart looking at you guys kind of weird whenever you two are together… or more often, when you two act like strangers towards each other."

I can't lie. "He and I…"

"So…" Yuuri rubbed at the back of his neck. "Is it my fault? If it weren't for me, would you two be together?"

"I don't know."

"Well… do you still love him?"

He turned away. "Don't ask me that question, Yuuri. Please… don't…"

"Then… why are you marrying me? I don't want to force you into anything…"

Wolfram interrupted him. "Because I love you. It may sound selfish and stupid, but I love the two of you… a lot. But I choose you, Yuuri." He clasped the double black's hand in his. "Don't you see? We were the past… he called it a fling…" He buried his face in Yuuri's shoulder. "He said that it was all for fun, until I got you. And that he was sick of being looked after like a sick puppy."

"Oh, Wolf… I'm so sorry. If I'd pulled my act together a little quicker, this might not have happened. It hurt all of us in the process." He pulled the blonde closer to him. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. I'm just glad that you're here with me now."

"Did you… ah… did you… sleep with him?"

Wolfram hiccupped again. "No, I didn't. He barely even touched me." He smiled a little. "I think it was partly because he knew that this would happen. And also a little bit because I once told him to stop. But he and I never… you know," he said, a faint blush tinting his cheeks.

"Oh," Yuuri said, also red. "Er…"

"Don't act so embarrassed! You were the one who asked me about it. And I suppose that you have the right to know."

Yuuri nodded, looking slightly troubled. "And now I have another question for you."

"Okay… shoot."

"Did you… I mean… were you together with Devon from before?"

Wolfram looked horrified and he pulled away from Yuuri. "No, of course not! How could you even suggest such a thing?"

"Well… he was so hell-bent on getting you to marry him and all that," Yuuri said sheepishly. "So I thought that maybe he loved you because you two were seeing each other. And you did come back once in his clothes, so that looked pretty bad. But I guess it was a one-sided sort of thing, wasn't it?"

"But of course! You didn't honestly think that I would ever get involved with one of my men, did you? I'm shocked at you, Yuuri. You obviously haven't been studying protocol at all." He snorted. "Honestly, the very idea. My soldiers and I had a strict commander-follower relationship."

"They were all crazy about you!"

Wolfram blinked. "Were they?"

"What! And they call me oblivious?"

"Your Majesty," Murata said in acknowledgement without looking up from the storybook he was reading Greta. "Greetings."

Yuuri flushed from the doorway. He still didn't really get how Murata did the whole eyes-in-the-back-of-his-head thing, and it still freaked him out a little bit, even though he was used to it by now. "Murata, could you stop calling me that?"

"I would prefer it if—"

"That's an order."

"As you wish, Shibuya," he said indifferently, turning the book's pages. "Is there any specific reason why you are confronting me as such, or do you intend to spend some quality time with Princess Greta?"

The double black glared at him. "Stop acting like that, would you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Greta stood up, shaking her head. "I'm going to leave you two alone now. I think you guys have something important to talk about. If you want me later, I'll be with Conrart and Jossak."

Murata shrugged at her and smiled a little. "I apologize for this rude interruption in our little story, Princess Greta."

She sighed. "I wish you would get over it, Murata. And I told you—it's just Greta, not princess."

"Spoiled little minx, isn't she?" Yuuri said, his eyes following her as she bounded out of the room. "I think she's the only one of lower rank than you who would dare address you that way."

"Indeed. I take no offense at her antics, in any case." Murata closed the book and replaced it on one of Greta's shelves. "I believe you had something to discuss with me?"

"You sound like you have some big etiquette book stuffed up your ass, Murata. Why don't you talk to me and Wolf the way you used to?"

"Things have changed, as people do."

"You're hurting everyone around you, you know. It's so selfish!"

"Selfish? Wonderful," Murata said, losing his temper. "For the first time in my life, I'm being selfish. Deal with it!" He glared at the king, his arms crossing on his chest defensively. "Why is it such a big deal to you guys? I'm trying to make this easier for everyone! Don't you get it?"

"No, I don't. Maybe if you tried explaining it to me, I would understand. Wolfram's… I don't know, okay?" He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Please. Make me get it somehow."

"I can't do that, Shibuya." The Great Sage locked eyes with him. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I knew that things would happen like this, but I went ahead anyway. And if I'm being horrible to Lord von Bielefeld, then I'm sorry. But I really can't do anything about it, all right?"

Yuuri held up his hands in surrender. "Okay. This is just between the two of you now. I don't know what part I play in this, except that I was an idiot… and maybe if I weren't here, the two of you would be better off."

Actually… Murata considered that statement for a moment. He would probably be offered the position. Or maybe Gwendal. And hadn't Devon already made a rational outline of what would happen?

The demon lords would acknowledge you as king if ever His Majesty happened to die anyway. Or if not, you would at least be regent or adviser while someone like Lord Walde takes the throne. And they wouldn't object to you marrying Prince Wolfram.

He shuddered. "Stop it, Shibuya. Don't even mention the possibility."

"Well, why not? It's the truth."

The light flashed off Murata's glasses, hiding his expression from Yuuri. "Because if you put ideas like that in my head, I'll be sorely tempted to act on them." The words were out of his mouth before he could help himself. "Shibuya, please… I'm fine. This'll all be a laugh and a half someday. But for now, I know that I'm hurting people. And I can't stop myself."

Yuuri flinched and nodded slowly. "Okay. So, uh, I also came around to invite you to our bachelor party. Basically Wolf and I just decided to have it together, because he would have made me take the bridal shower otherwise. And I would never have lived that down, especially since Shori's coming."

"Oh, your brother."

"Yep, him." Yuuri grinned sheepishly. "He's still kind of annoyed that I'm marrying a guy—old prejudices are hard to get rid of. He would kill both Wolfram and me if he thought that I was the 'girl' in the relationship. But of course mom's thrilled. She says she's never seen a prettier person than Wolfram."

Murata chuckled. "That sounds like your mom, all right. And Wolfram is extraordinarily beautiful." Suddenly, just at that last sentence, he seemed to be on guard again. "All right, Shibuya, I'll go to your bachelor party. If you'll excuse me, I'll be seeing Princess Greta now."

"Why don't you just open your heart for once, Murata?"

The Great Sage looked ready to throttle him for that careless statement. "Your Majesty, I did once, and it had the worst of repercussions."

That night, Wolfram dreamt—alone in his chambers, and yet not alone; it was like looking into a mirror. "Shinou," he said, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. He felt vaguely ridiculous in his translucent pink nightgown, but really, he was sure that Shinou had watched over him before in this sort of apparel, so it didn't really matter, did it? "Ah… this is unexpected. It seems that you've been frequenting demon dreams more lately." He smiled wryly. "And I heard that it was rare for you to visit the earthly plane."

"That's true, actually," Shinou said. "But the trinity interests me, and I simply can't hold back." He smiled at Wolfram. "Little prince, you've hurt the Great Sage rather badly, haven't you? That insensitive idiot doesn't understand anything. And I suppose he's hurt you too, so I think that's what they call 'even'."

Wolfram was silent a moment. "I guess that's one way of putting it. So, are you here to tell me that I should let him go? That I should stop trying to make him feel better about the whole thing?"

"Well… I don't think that he'll really ever 'feel better' about the whole thing, but I think that he's sunk to the lowest depths this time," Shinou said. "Honestly, at least that time when he and Yuuri got themselves locked up, they could use that trite excuse of being noble. Now he's just playing the spurned lover and really, it's just so embarrassing for me to look at him and realize that I'm still crazy about someone acting as pathetic as he is."

The prince smirked. "You really are quite the character, Shinou."

"And you are as cheeky as ever," Shinou said, smirking back. "But I'll take that as a compliment."

Wolfram shrugged. "I think I got a bit less impressed with you." He grinned at the Original King's offended expression. "But I like you better this way. You're a little bit more real." He smiled softly. "A bit like me, or Murata sometimes. You don't have all the answers, and you have a peculiar way of reacting to situations."

"Little demon, I not only react to situations, I make them," Shinou drawled.

"Is this the part where you pass on some wonderful advice to me so that I know what to do to make everything right again?"

"Sadly, no. That would make things too easy, wouldn't it?" Shinou wrinkled his nose when he noticed what Wolfram was wearing. "You are so girly. How can you wear that and still be considered a great, fearsome fighter? But back on topic, I can offer you options. As I've already told you, I am not all-powerful. There is no singular path where everything becomes right again."

"That philosophy is just plain unfair," Wolfram grumbled. "But I'm sure that you know a great many paths where everything would be all right again. But of course you won't tell me." He scowled.

"It would be unfair to expect me to, little pet wolf."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because Murata's being a fool. A lovesick one. He really believes that what he's doing is for your own good, demon prince." Shinou let out a short bark of laughter. "Although why he thinks that is completely unreasonable. I thought that with his superior intellect he would at least be able to look at the shortcomings of his plan. The fault, however, doesn't lie with him."

"It's my fault…"

"You're a silly child too, then. I never said it was your fault, and you're acting like an overly dramatic soap opera actor." He ignored the puzzled question in Wolfram's eyes that seemed to ask, what the heck is a soap opera actor? Is it someone who sings on stage with a bar of soap? He smirked, imagining the demon asking Yuuri that and the expression on the king's face. "But I don't expect as much from you; you haven't lived as long, and your emotions have too powerful a grip on you. That's who you are."

"I'm going to walk down that aisle, Shinou. I already made up my mind about that. But I don't want to let go of Murata."

Shinou wrinkled his nose. "That's selfish of you."

"I don't mean I want to possess him, although I'm sure that I can't control my jealousy…" Wolfram grimaced as he remembered a particularly nasty encounter with Ulrike just that week. Ooh… he had already apologized to the temple priestess, but she was still rather cool around him. "But I don't want him to hate me, Shinou. Even if it meant nothing at all to him."

The Original King raised his eyebrows. "You truly believe that it meant nothing to him?"

Wolfram paused. "No, I don't. I think that it meant just as much to him as it did to me. I saw it somehow in his eyes, and I don't think I'll ever forget that look. No… it wasn't nothing. It wasn't a 'fling', as he called it. Even if he's disenchanted now, it meant something." He gathered the silk covers in his balled fists. "He just doesn't want to admit it now."

"He thinks he's protecting you, you know. That if you forget him it'll be better for the both of you. But maybe he's fooling himself, Prince Wolfram. Maybe he just doesn't want to admit how much he still wants you. Because he knows that if he tries to carry you off, you'll spurn him… and I'm sure that's a hard fact for him to accept."

"I see." Wolfram nodded. "Ah, Shinou? Could you possibly…?"

"Excuse you? Go on, by all means." Shinou pulled the other blonde to his feet. "Go to him, Wolfram. He needs you. Even if he tries to hide it, even if he convinces you—and himself—that it's better this way. Even if you officially belong to someone else, a part of you is his." He tapped Wolfram's nose with slight playfulness. "And don't forget it, little demon."

At first he thought he was dreaming. It would be just like Shinou to send him something like this… but then again, even if Shinou decided to make him dream of Wolfram, he doubted that it would occur to the original king to attire the demon prince in his pink nightgown. "Lord von Bielefeld?" he murmured, sitting up and pushing his glasses on, squinting at the apparition. "What are you doing here?"

"Is this a 'breach of protocol', then?" Wolfram asked him softly, taking unsure steps towards him. "Do you want me to leave?"

"Yes, I do."

Wolfram shrugged. "Tell me again when I'm going to listen."

He swallowed hard. "Lord von Bielefeld, if there's nothing that you need…"

"Murata… there is something which I do need." Wolfram was silhouetted against the window, the moonlight turning his golden hair silver. "I need you to stop this farce. Do you think that I love you any less just because I'm getting married to Yuuri?" He dipped his head so that he was closer to the Great Sage. "Do you think that I wanted to choose?"

"Why did you have to?"

Wolfram let out a short laugh. "Just because, Murata." He sighed, closing his eyes. "I am selfish." He paused. "And you're probably thinking that I'm right."

Murata blushed. Wolfram never used to be so good at reading people's minds. In fact, now that he thought about it, he was almost as dense as Yuuri was sometimes.

"But you… and I…" Wolfram blinked. "I didn't want to choose, but I did; sometimes you have to, Murata. And maybe I didn't make the right choice, but I think that I did." He held out a hand for the Great Sage to take, but he didn't take it. He drew it back. "You remember that time when I almost died?"

"How could I forget?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Shinou showed me what would happen, if I didn't marry Yuuri. And I do love Yuuri." He looked at Murata. "He said that he told you what would happen if you and I ever ran away for the sake of our own happiness. It's true, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Murata said, suddenly feeling ashamed.

"I don't want that to happen." His slight weight made the mattress dip down as he sat beside Murata. "I love the Demon Kingdom. And I love Yuuri." He looked into the pain in Murata's face. "And I love you. I don't want to come to hate you. And that's what would have happened if the two of us abandoned all of this."

Murata began to laugh painfully, the tension of a year and a half seeming to spread and lift from him as the sound wrenched itself from his body. "I'm an idiot," he said, leaning his head on Wolfram's shoulder. I thought that I could be satisfied with whatever scraps of affection you gave to me—and then I became jealous even when I knew my earlier promise. But I'd rather have whatever you throw my way than suffer without anything of you.

"Murata, love…"

The Great Sage blinked. Usually it was he who called Wolfram that, and the pet name sent shivers down his spine. His resolve broke—not that it had been very firm in the first place. "Wolf…"

"Don't leave me."

"But you're the one who's leaving me, love."

Wolfram smiled strangely. "You know what Shinou said? Even if I technically belong to someone else, a part of me will always belong to you."

He didn't hesitate. "Okay. I'll take what I can get."

The prince frowned. "I wanted you to find someone else… someone who would make you happy. At least, that's what I thought I wanted at first."

"I swore, love. I made a promise not to love anyone other than you." Murata's touch was tender as he brushed the hair out of Wolfram's eyes.

"And besides, I kind of realized that I would probably tar and feather whatever wench set her sights on you."

Murata bit his lip to keep from laughing, but the demon's giggles set him off. "I missed you."

"Missed you too, 'Great Sage'. Or can I call you Murata again? Is that still 'a breach of protocol' since we have no ties to each other?"

The Great Sage pulled him close. "Shut up."

"Sure this isn't considered 'treason'?" he asked sweetly, leaning into the embrace.

"It is," Murata said matter-of-factly, the words muffled slightly as he buried his face into the scent of Wolfram's hair. "But I really don't care."

"Good, because neither do I." Wolfram smiled sadly at him. "Do you think Yuuri will understand?"

"If it's Shibuya, he will."

"...Yuuri doesn't really need to know right away."

"Yeah." Someday, maybe someday, they would be able to hold each other openly. The awareness that Yuuri was half-human and therefore more mortal than Wolfram would ever be... and he, Murata, could come back, again and again. Someday perhaps Yuuri would not be there. But he, Murata, would be.

There was that unspoken agreement between them. Neither of them would mention it to anyone. And perhaps they would continue to come together sometimes, just to embrace and to laugh about what could have been. Maybe. But they would never go beyond that, because he was someone else's.

Still, Murata held him close. Because a part of Wolfram was still his.

"Oh… Wolf, you look beautiful."

Wolfram blushed. "Be quiet," he snapped, trying not to look pleased. He adjusted the white and gold uniform that he had donned specifically for this occasion. "I'm getting married," he said into the mirror. Then he blinked. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Murata laughed. "Well, that's a nice way of putting it," he chastised. He pulled the demon over. "Your collar's all funny," he said, adjusting it.

"Thanks," Wolfram said, not minding when Murata took a little longer than was strictly necessary. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Conrart, Gwendal, Jossak and Günter's questioning glances. He merely smiled at them innocently, and they all looked away.

"Too bad Shibuya's mom couldn't get you to agree to wear a dress."

Wolfram nearly purpled with rage. "I AM NOT THE GIRL IN THE RELATIONSHIP!"

"Oh, really?" Murata's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I wasn't aware that you were the type to take the initiative in this sort of thing. You were more the feminine type, the one relentlessly pursued before finally giving in…"

Wolfram reddened and looked away. "That's different," he mumbled, just low enough for Murata to hear. "Okay… I'm ready."

Lady Cecilie squealed at him. "Oh Wolfie! You look adorable!"

"I don't want to look ADORABLE!"

"You look very distinguished," Conrart offered, by way of consolation.

Wolfram paused, hesitated a moment, then finally gave in and hugged him. "Thanks." Conrart looked slightly nonplussed as Wolfram pulled away, and Lady Cecilie kept giggling at his expression.

"Is Greta ready?"

"Flower girl's all accounted for," Gwendal confirmed. Günter was presiding over the ceremony, much to Wolfram's worry (Günter had cried buckets for months when they had announced their official engagement). "And I already had a word with Günter. Don't worry."

"Thanks, brother," Wolfram said. He did not hug Gwendal, but he nodded solemnly.

Anissina punched Gwendal in the arm. "Hug. Now."

Gwendal let out a little squeak before briefly squeezing Wolfram. He glared at Anissina, who was laughing along with Greta.

"Don't be too tense, now, Gwendal," Lady Cecilie chastised. "After all, Wolfie's going to be married today!"

Murata offered Wolfram his arm. "Ready to walk down that aisle?" At the altar, Yuuri was waiting for him, dressed all in black and gold (ignoring his mother's wails about how black was inappropriate for the wedding). Yuuri was waiting. And Murata was offering him his arm to lead him there.

Wolfram hesitated just a moment before accepting. "Yes."

-end-

A/N: And there you go. It was a long ride to finish this out. I'm kind of glad it's over. :)

Additional edit: I'm starting on a new Kyou Kara Maou fanfic and I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in beta-reading it. For some reason I can't get into the same sort of natural high for KKM that I get for my other fandom I'm writing for. If you're interested, please let me know!