But I Don't Like Boys? by Shukumei

Disclaimer: KKM still doesn't belong to me. See previous chapters.

Warnings/Spoilers: No spoilers in this chapter. Look out for a minor sensual thought, but don't get your hopes up. XP

Author notes: Goodness, it's been well over a year since I posted for this story. I doubt anyone whom started reading when I first began is still here, but I welcome new faces to still give it a try. I do have a lot in store, and I'm so sorry that my updates are terribly delayed. But we're getting so close to the date and some fun, so stick around! Double bonus for your patience though: this chapter is a tad bit longer than average and there's a special surprise once you get to the end chapter notes (but read the chapter first!)

Side note that I messed up some of Yuri's housing. Last chapter I said that the bathroom was upstairs, but an episode I watched recently proved me wrong. Could have sworn Yuri and Murata had run up the stairs to get to the bathroom, but oh well. For this story, it's still upstairs.

-o-o-

Chapter 21: New Face

Before he succumbed to the promise of breakfast, Yuri stopped to wash his face in the bathroom. It was actually just splashing some water into his face, but Yuri had hoped it might clear his head some. The water was cool as in trickled down to his chin. Yuri regarded his pale pallor with concern. Maybe he had used too much energy on the trip after all. He wondered if he'd have the strength to get everyone back home.

With a sigh, Yuri scrubbed a brush through his hair. He winced at a few tangles. With sudden dread, Yuri realized that he'd been asleep for almost a day; he hadn't taken a bath or shower since before he had left the castle. Yuri lifted an arm and tried to smell himself under it, but he didn't sense anything particularly... odorous.

Yuri washed his hands and face a bit more thoroughly and ran wet fingers through his hair. If he hadn't already gotten dressed, he would have considered skipping breakfast to take a quick shower.

Pleased with his slight return of color, Yuri finally came downstairs to greet his family. Before he could say 'good morning', Greta was onslaughting him with the tales of her adventures from the previous day. Wolfram shot him a sympathetic look, and Jennifer gave him a satisfied grin.

Yuri guided Greta back to the table, nodding and 'aha'ing at the appropriate moments. The young king wasn't sure when she'd stop. She had just told him about the box with moving pictures as they had mentioned in the carriage ride over to Shinou's temple yesterday, and he was glad to hear that his mother had tried to further explain the contraption to her.

"And then we went shopping!" Greta exclaimed, throwing her arms up.

"Make sure you finish your hotcakes," Yuri said when she had paused long enough to let him get a word in.

Greta looked down at her food as if she had forgotten about it entirely. The girl scooped a piece she had cut earlier into her mouth and tried to continue. "So many buildings-"

"Now, Greta." Wolfram frowned at her. "Talking with your mouth full isn't very becoming of a princess."

Greta swallowed. "Sorry, Wolfram."

Wolfram nodded. "Go on."

"Oh! Carriages that go without horses! Your world is so amazing, Yuri!" Greta paused to eat another bite of syrupy hotcakes. "And there were so many buildings to shop in. One for everything you could imagine."

Jennifer piped in, "We'll have to show you some of the things we got for Gre-chan."

"Yes. Greta can show you, Yuri. It was so hard to pick from all of them." Greta beamed at Jennifer.

Yuri's mother smiled back and said, "You can do a showcase just for Yuri while I start to get Wol-chan ready."

"Yay!" Greta finished her breakfast in a hurry. She pushed her chair away from the table and turned to look at Yuri. "May I be excused?"

"You may," Yuri responded.

Jennifer ushered Greta over to the sink in the kitchen before she ran down the hallway, saying she didn't want to get her new clothes all sticky. Yuri's mother returned to the table with a new plate of pancakes. "You need to eat up, too." She set the plate down before Yuri.

Yuri nodded and mostly ate his breakfast in silence. Jennifer had already finished her plate and Wolfram was almost done. As soon as Wolfram had taken his last bite, Jennifer was rushing him down the hallway. Before disappearing completely, she popped her head back into the dining area. "Could you do the dishes for me? I want to make sure Wol-chan looks his best for you."

"Sure," Yuri called as his mother vanished out of site. He muttered to himself, "Guess I don't need to get all dolled up." He grimaced. Did I just think about getting dolled up?

The black-haired young man picked up his and Wolfram's plates to drop them in the sink. While giving the dishes a good rinse and placing them in the dishwasher, Yuri still had no idea what his mother had planned. Clearly, she felt she needed to get Wolfram prepared for it. It didn't really make sense; although, she had laid out clothes for Yuri to wear. Judging by his own casual wear, it wasn't going to involve any place really fancy.

As if on queue, Greta appeared in the kitchen from the hallway with a 'ta-da!' as Yuri put the last of the forks in the dishwasher. He looked up at her as he closed it up. "Beautiful," he said to her with sincere honesty.

Greta giggled and twirled, belling out a bright yellow dress. The ruffled trim around her neck, puffy sleeves, and bottom of the dress was white. Since it stopped at her knees, Yuri noticed she wasn't wearing any shoes, but she had accessorized it with a small clip-in yellow bow by her left ear.

Did you or my mother pick this one out?"

"Greta did." Greta pressed her fingers together near her mouth. "Greta saw it in a... window display! Grandma Jen said it would be perfect for me."

Yuri nodded. "You both have great taste. Do you have more?"

Rather than replying, the girl ran back down the hallway. Yuri took it as a 'yes'.

Done with dishes, Yuri tried to find something else to clean up in the kitchen but found the place surprisingly spotless. He flopped onto the couch in the living room instead and turned on the TV.

"Yuri?"

Yuri heard Greta call for him in the kitchen, and he raised his voice a bit to say, "In here."

This time, Greta had on a white t-shirt with a big pink daisy on the front. She was wearing light blue jeans which were rolled up around the ankles. Yuri smiled when he saw the sparkly red slippers that she had on.

"I know the shoes don't match, but Greta likes them. I need to find something to wear with them." Greta turned one leg, so Yuri could get a better look at them. "Grandma Jen says they're like the shoes from an old movie from... Amer... ca? Something about a wizard."

Yuri nodded and patted the spot on the couch next to him. He didn't exactly remember the name of the movie, but it didn't much matter. Greta flounced onto the couch with him. Yuri turned the channel to one with a light-hearted anime. "You look nice, Greta. No one would think you're anything but a normal girl from Earth. Blending in here is a good start to learning about where I come from."

"But you don't wear clothes from Shin Makoku much," Greta said with little accusation.

"You're right. We can maybe go shopping when we get home, and you can pick out some things for me to wear. Does that sound good?" Yuri glanced down at his adopted daughter, eyes hopeful.

Greta nodded and turned her focus to the TV. "It's a date."

Yuri smiled and shook his head.

The two of them sat there, watching the anime for quite some time. Almost an hour had passed before the show had switched to one with a lady and her bouncing breasts. Greta laughed, and Yuri changed the channel before she got to see the true nature of the new show.

"I should take a shower if this is going to take much longer," Yuri mused out loud.

Greta jumped up from the couch and put her hands out in front of her. "No! You can't use the bathroom. Wolfram is getting ready in there." A light seemed to click on in her head and she snapped her fingers. "I'll go see if I can help and make it faster."

Yuri doubted the eagerness of a 10-year-old would help Wolfram's make-over go any faster. Seriously, it'd been an hour. If not a make-over, just what was his mother doing to him? Yuri nodded his approval for Greta, and she hurried off.

Yuri turned the channel back to the anime with the large-chested woman, and a boy in the show went red-faced as he was smothered with boobs clad in a tiny bikini. Yuri snorted in amusement tinged with mild disgust. He remembered believing that that would not be too appealing. The young man hadn't thought of burying his face in a woman's breasts recently, but it was something that had crossed his mind on occasion. What 15-year-old boy wouldn't have thoughts of the opposite sex? But more recently, of someone close to him that practically vibed with a need for any sort of contact?

Yuri sighed, feeling a sudden flutter of anticipation. If this thing with Wolfram worked out, he didn't exactly have a rounded out chest to, er, play with. What do men do together? Yuri thought, his heart starting to thump harder with the images that quickly popped into his mind. His cheeks felt aflame as his mind turned kissing into a confusing jumble of hands on skin. Nipples. Ah, men and women both had nipples. If he couldn't fondle a breast, playing with a nipple might work...

Yuri hadn't realized he had closed his eyes and tilted his head back over the couch until her heard the sound of the front door open. He wasn't so deep into thought that he could miss it, but with a sudden jolt of surprise, Yuri had missed the fact that the dizzying feeling he had felt was blood rushing to his groin. In panic, Yuri grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it in his lap. I've got half a stalk! Yuri thought in dismay. He didn't have the time to ponder if his reaction was to his sensual thoughts in general or if his mind had pictured Wolfram specifically, but he thought hard about cold showers at that moment.

Yuri's older brother stepped into the room and cleared his throat.

Yuri turned his head towards Shori and gave a sheepish smiled. "Hi. What are you doing home?"

"No love for your big brother, Little Brother?" Shori asked mockingly. He rounded the couch and sat down next to Yuri. He eyed the pillow in Yuri's lap with a questioning gaze only once. "I see how it is. I'm going to take you on your big date, and I don't even get a thank you."

Yuri lifted his feet onto the couch, drawing his knees and pillow close to him. "Nice to see you, Shori." Yuri stared at the TV. "You'll be our chaperon?"

Shori shook his head. "Just a chauffeur. Mom's given me explicit instructions to let you two be alone."

Yuri's cheeks flushed with warmth anew. "So you know where we're going?"

"Yeah."

When Shori didn't continue, Yuri turned off the TV with the remove he had laying on his other side. He turned to face Shori, discarding the pillow. "Where are you going to take us?"

"The amusement park," Shori said plainly, looking at Yuri again now that the bouncing breasts were gone.

"The amusement park?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Oh?" Shori asked. "You sound disappointed."

Yuri shrugged, looking away. "That's a perfect place for couples, yeah. But I'm not sure it's the best choice for Wolfram. With his motion sickness, we wouldn't really be able to go on many rides."

Shori placed his hand around his chin and put one leg over the other. "That does seem rather disappointing, but at least you two will be together. Once you're done there, you can maybe take a walk on the pier."

"That sounds nice."

Shori stood up and looked down at his younger brother. "Did you give it to him yet?"

"Did I give wha-" Yuri suddenly stood as well. "Oh yeah. No, I haven't. Where is it?"

"It should still be in your desk drawer. Come." Shori motioned with one hand, and Yuri followed behind him.

And it was. Yuri picked up the small velvet-covered box and put it on the desk. "When should I give it to him?"

"Afterward, I think." Shori nodded. "So that it's the climax of the date."

Yuri returned the nod and closed the drawer Wolfram's gift had been hiding in. "I won't forget it if it's in plain site."

"Ah, there you are!" Greta creaked open the door to Yuri's room. "Go down to the living room, and we'll bring him out."

Yuri's heart leaped into his throat. The moment was drawing closer. His heart had calmed a bit as he descended the stairs with Greta and Shori, but he was swallowed hard when Greta placed him to stand facing a wall with his eyes closed. He heard his mother and Greta stifle a few giggles and then sounds of them shushing someone.

A hesitant hand touched Yuri's shoulder. "Ah, Yuri?" Wolfram's voice.

Finally, Yuri could see what all the fuss was about.; he opened his eyes and turned to face his fiance. "It's about time, Wol-" And he promptly slammed his back against the wall, hands splayed. He stared. Yuri knew it was rude to stare, but he stared at Wolfram, awestruck.

Awkward silence filled the space between them when Wolfram tucked blond locks behind his ears. He blushed, and Yuri had only one word that appeared before him. Cute. Yuri continued to stare at Wolfram, hoping his mouth was closed, but he hadn't quite expected this. The young king had know Wolfram to be a beautiful being, and he usually made a convincing girl, but his mother had succeeding in bringing out these qualities in a perfect balance.

Wolfram wore a bright blue baggy shirt. It stretched out at his waist so that the bottom of the shirt sagged around his middle and his sleeves stopped just above his elbows. Yuri could see a white tank top under the blue shirt since it had a very wide neck opening; he was certain that Wolfram would end up bearing a shoulder at least once during the day with how wide it did open – ah, Wolfram's movement just then had revealed a creamy shoulder. He had on black capris that hugged his figure, but the shirt sagged low enough in the front to cover any particularly manly figures that might also be snug - Yuri couldn't tell if it was perhaps more loose around his waist, but with Wolfram's exposed lower legs, the black-haired boy could see the blond's toned calf muscles. A few long necklace dangled around Wolfram's neck, falling in the middle of his chest. One of them had a small yellow flower at the end and the other had a green tear-drop-shaped bead. And there were big blue bracelets matching his shirt that Yuri saw with Wolfram hiding his hands behind his back.

But beyond that, Yuri was impressed with Wolfram's face. He was used to gaudy makeups that Yozak would use to hide his gender, but Wolfram had on very little. Lips lightly glossed with pink, a brush of rouge, and slight darkening around his lashes was all he could see, and Yuri couldn't believe how stunning it looked. To add the most feminine touch of all was probably Wolfram's hair. It was still Wolfram's hair, slight wave and short around his face, but he had some matching blond extensions under it that made his hair appear longer. It wasn't super curly like Wolfram's mother's, and it only came down to his shoulders.

"Well, say something, Yu-chan," Jennifer said when she could no longer bear the silence.

Yuri didn't know what to say. Wolfram would probably hate being called cute, and if it said the wrong thing, he might be insulting his mother's work. Yuri did the next best thing he could think of and finally broke into a wide smile.

Jennifer clapped and came forward from sitting on the couch; Greta hovered around Wolfram with her. "I'm glad you like it, Yu-chan. Now you can go all those couple-y things you might want to do with everyone watching."

Yuri blushed with Wolfram. If a bit stylized, Wolfram did look the part of a human girl, even with a flat chest. His mother wouldn't have brought Wolfram out if she hadn't yet put in fake breasts, so Yuri could see that this was the completed look. The shirt seemed to hide it well, too. He knew people would see them together as a boy and a girl without question, wondering how he had scored someone so far out of his league.

"Oh, did Ken-kun give you a package to give to me?" Jennifer asked Yuri as she mildly fussed over a wave of Wolfram's hair.

Yuri felt his back pocket instinctively. "Ah, it was in my pants from yesterday. I don't know where-"

Shori lifted his hand to his shoulder – Yuri had almost forgotten he was there. "I put it on your desk. Would have brought it down with us if I knew you'd need it."

"Go get it for me, Sho-chan?" Jennifer smiled to her eldest son.

Shori nodded and left.

"What is it, Mother?" Yuri asked, still eying Wolfram over.

"The final touch."

"The final touch? What more do you need? Wolfram looks great, Mother." A thought occurred to Yuri, and he squashed it down. It can't be fake breasts, what I felt was more like a small button...

Wolfram turned to Jennifer and placed his hands on his chest. "I... still need, ah, these, right?"

Jennifer shook her head. "Nope. No cleavage for you. You make the most adorable flat-chested girl ever. A carpenter's dream."

Yuri thought Wolfram look a bit deflated by the compliment that most girls would be insulted by. Wolfram may look the part, but he had to act the part, too. Yuri wondered in Wolfram would fare well.

-o-o-

End of chapter 21.

Note on breakfast - I know that they would have had eggs and Japanese food, but I didn't want to go really research and remember the names of foods. So hotcakes it is.

Not sure if the Wizard of Oz is well-known in Japan or not, but who could resist putting a cute little girl in Dorothy slippers? XD

In episodes that I watched earlier, besides noticing the bathroom placement, I remembered that Greta often talked in the third person. I'm sorry if her sudden change in speech confused anyone.

And outfit! Go check out my profile. Yay! I drew Wolfram in his disguise long before I ever got to this part, so if you want to see it, please go look.