Yuri's Secret

Uniting As One series

Crossover: Gravitation

One-shot

Written by: chochowilliams

Disclaimer: I do not own Kyo Kara Maoh or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Summary: There is one part of Yuri's past that Wolfram knows nothing about.

Warning: Drama, Romance, Fantasy, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Illusion to (attempted) Non-Con, Language, M/M, OC, OOC

Pairings: Yuri/Wolfram

Inserts: recap from Wolfram's Bruise

A/N: This is the last installment of the Uniting As One series. Thank you for your continued support.

oOo

Last Time

His grin slipped. Dropping his gaze to the floor, his hands clenched into tight fists. Then he relaxed his grip. Lifting his head, he gazed at his family: Conrart, Gwendal, Anissina, Lady Celi, Günter, Ken, Wolfram and now Seraphina and Rey.

Shuichi narrowed his eyes. "This has nothing to do with society or how you were raised," he continued. His aunt Jennifer was very open-minded and the least prejudicial person in the world. Not even the Pope can say that. Shuichi could not even say that about himself. "No. This is about 'him', isn't it?"

His cousin's words echoed in his head. Yuri knew he had to tell Wolfram about Kojiro. Wolfram deserved to know the truth. But…

"Yuri."

A soft voice spoke up from behind him.

"Greta!" Yuri turned and caught sight of his daughter as she stepped into the room.

He loved his life here. As Demon King. As a father. As a husband. All he wanted was to concentrate on the future, but what was a future or even a present without a past? Our pasts made us who we are. It laid the groundwork for what was to come. It dictates our actions. All he wanted was to forget his. But would erasing what had been affect what is or what will be? The last thing Yuri wanted was to go back to that time, but did he really want to risk the future of his husband and his children over such an unknown? That was the question.

oOo

Covenant Castle - Great Demon Kingdom

Kojiro.

Why was he the only memory from back then that he could remember with such clarity? There were vague recollections that flit around in his head, but nothing that was a clear as if he were reliving the moment each time it rushed forth. He could remember art class, nap time on his blanket that his grandma made for him, not knowing what his teacher's name was and when he called her "teacher", she merely pointed at the clock to indicate that was her name. Then there was standing in a line before her and deciding whether the hand she held out was the right or the left one. He could remember getting it wrong the first time because while it was her right, it was on his left. Then of course, there was him.

Him.

He has haunted his every waking moment since then, no matter how much time or distance came in-between then and now. No matter how much he may want to forget, something refused to allow him to do so. So instead, it replayed over and over again in his head. It had handicapped his every movement since. And it hindered his ability to see what was right in front of him. He had been blinded by the memory of what happened back then and therefore had not seen the love he held for Wolfram until it was almost too late. In fact, if it had not been for Shuichi, he would have remained blind, ignorant and completely naïve.

Like Shuichi said, he could not let what happened all those years ago continue to run his life. Just because he finally confessed his love to Wolfram, just because they were a normal two parent family, did not mean that his past was entirely that. No, all he managed to do was lock the memory away in a chest and stash the chest in a forgotten corner of the attic. But like the never-ending sequels of a horror movie, the chest never really remained hidden, forgotten or locked away. That was why it was time. After keeping Kojiro a secret from his beloved all of these years, it was time Wolfram learned the truth, the truth behind the one secret that has been kept from him.

Yuri did not like lying to Wolfram. He did not like keeping things from him. So, even though bringing up such a painful moment from his past was going to be nothing short of torturous, it had to be done.

oOo

Leaning over the railing, Yuri gently stroked his daughter's cheek. She felt warm and her face was flushed. He hoped Seraphina was not coming down with something. Concerned, he checked on Rey-who was sleeping just as peacefully as his older twin sister-in the second crib. Yuri frowned as he felt his son's forehead. Rey felt normal. If anything, Rey was slightly cooler to the touch. Both he and Seraphina have been like this for the last several weeks, ever since what was essentially the demon's equivalent to a baptism. Was it connected somehow? He'd have to ask Murata.

Yuri knew exactly what he was doing: stalling, delaying the inevitable. Guess Wolfram was right; he was a wimp.

Straightening, he let his lids drift shut and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. He gripped the railing in an effort to quiet his trembling hands. Nothing was working.

His heart-Yuri clutched a hand to his chest; it was pounding so hard, so loud. It was making it difficult to breath.

"Shit," he panted.

His knees were knocking. His legs felt like rubber. They were so weak, they couldn't hold his weight.

Wrapping an arm around his churning stomach, Yuri slowly sank to the floor. He could feel the coolness of the stones through the thin fabric of his black uniform pants. When his son's crib started see-sawing before him, Yuri clamped his eyes closed.

This was nuts-crazy-absolutely insane. Why did just a fleeting ghost of a memory of "him" drop him to his knees and turn him into a sniveling gutless weakling? It wasn't such a big deal, was it?

There was a gasp. "Yuri!"

"Wolf…" Yuri managed to whisper as his vision narrowed and grew dark. The last thing he could remember was hearing the sound of running feet drawing near. Then…nothing.

oOo

"What's wrong with him?" Wolfram demanded over the panic driven beat of his pulse. He paced back and forth in front of the bed, bouncing his son on his hip as the boy continued to howl. Wolfram growled. "And where's Rey bottle?!" If Rey would be more quiet and calm like his sister, life would be so much easier.

"Right here, Your Highness!"

Wolfram glared at Sangria as the maid scurried into the chamber. She held a bottle in one hand and her other hand held up her blue dress. "It's about time," he bit as he snatched the bottle roughly.

"I'm, I'm terribly sorry, Your highness," Sangria stuttered.

"Now, Wolfram-"

"Don't you start with me Lord Weller," Wolfram snapped at his brother. His emerald green eyes flashed his annoyance.

"If you cannot quiet down, I will have to remove you from the room."

"What?!" Wolfram turned towards Gisela in disbelief. "Yuri is my husband. I have the right-"

"And as my patient, I have the right to exam His Majesty and I also have the right to remove those who cause any sort of disturbance that may interfere with the care of my patients."

Wolfram gulped.

"Wolfie, dear, let me do that."

"Hello, Mother," Conrart greeted as Lady Celi glided into the room. "When did you arrive?"

"Just now." She gently scooped her grandson out of her little Wolfie's arms. Then she took the bottle. The moment the nipple was laid against little Rey's lips, the two–month-old took hold of it and started suckling. It was almost as if this was his first meal in a week. Lady Celi giggled lightly as Rey turned himself into her chest. "I rushed right over as soon as I heard His Majesty had collapsed."

With his eyes as big as saucers and as dark as night, Rey stared up at his grandmother.

"What?" she cooed.

Rey giggled around the nipple.

His arms now free, Wolfram scurried to his husband's side.

"How is His majesty, Gisela?" Lady Celi inquired.

Gisela shook her head. "I cannot seem to find anything wrong with His Majesty."

"What?"

"Impossible."

"But how can that be?"

Gisela shook her head. "I wish I knew." There was nothing physically wrong with the King, at least nothing that she could find. So the answer had to lie somewhere else. Perhaps, mentally?

oOo

Thirteen Years Ago - Boston, Massachusetts

"Sho-chan! Oh, Sho-chan!"

"What is it Yu-chan?"

"Slide!"

Shori followed his little brother's finger, jabbing eagerly through the air. There across the street was a playground. Not only did it have the jungle gym that was just becoming popular, but it also had the traditional playground equipment such as swings and of course slides.

"Can we go, Sho-chan?"

Shori glanced down into his little brother's big, dark eyes framed by those cute little pigtails and felt himself cave in. "Okay."

"Yah! Yah!"

"But only for a little bit," Shori added. "We have to get home."

"Okay! C'mon, Sho-chan!"

Shori couldn't stop himself from smiling as he allowed himself to be dragged across the street.

oOo

Present – Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan

Shori heaved a heavy sigh. Fingering his hair, he laced his fingers behind his head. Tipping his head back, he stared up blankly at the ceiling. "Yuri." A muffled giggle drew his attention. Shori dropped his hands and spun around. "Who's there?" he demanded.

A pink head appeared around the door. "Hey!"

"Oh, it's you." Shori replied with a bored tone.

Shuichi pouted dramatically as he stepped into his cousin's room. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shori sighed again. "Nothing." He spun back towards his computer and booted the system. "So, what're you doing here?"

"I came to see Yuri."

"He's not here."

"Yeah. That's what your mom said." Shuichi threw himself onto Shori's bed and giggled when he bounced. The bed was so high and Shuichi being on the short side meant that his feet hung a good half a foot from the floor.

"So?" Shori drawled as he opened internet explorer. "You know Yuri isn't here. What are you still doing here?"

Shrugging, Shuichi leaned back on his hands and started swinging his legs. "Waiting for Eiri."

"Oh?" Shori commented with little interest.

"Yup. He dropped me off on his way to pick up his medicine."

"Hm."

"I heard Yuri and Wolfram eloped."

Shori sighed. His mother sure had a big mouth. "…Apparently."

"It's too bad. I really thought it would have been cool to have a double wedding." Shuichi pouted.

"You wouldn't have been able to either way," Shori said in the same dull, dead tone.

Shuichi folded his arms behind his head and laid back. "I know. It still would've been cool."

"Whatever," Shori mumbled.

"Hey! Did you see the babies, yet?"

"Yeah."

"And?" Shuichi prodded enthusiastically, sitting up.

"And what?"

Shuichi sighed in disgust. He flopped onto his back. Draping his hands over his eyes, he stared up at the ceiling. "It's not your fault ya know," he whispered into the silence.

"What are you talking about now?"

Propping up onto his elbows, Shuichi glanced across the darkened bedroom at Shori. The only light came from the front of the screen that highlighted the upper front half of the college student's body. Shuichi cocked his head to the side. "What happened back then," he continued as if his cousin hadn't spoken.

The rapid clacking of the keys halted as Shori froze.

"Oh, Shu-chan! Yuki-san is here!"

Shuichi's face brightened. He jumped to his feet. "Okay! I'll be right there Aunt Jennifer!" he called down.

"Shuichi…"

"Hm?" His thoughts full of his fiancé, Shuichi turned towards Shori.

"How…?"

"Baka!"

Shuichi straightened and his grin widened.

"Let's go!"

"'Kay!" Shuichi called back. "See ya, Shori."

Shori jumped to his feet. "Shu…" But his cousin was already gone. He ran his fingers through his hair. For someone who only graduated from high school because he cheated, his pink-haired cousin sometimes saw a little more than the average person.

"It's not your fault ya know. What happened back then."

Shuichi may be right. Logically, he knew that. But…Yuri was his little brother and it was his job to look out for him, to protect him. That day, he failed.

oOo

Covenant Castle - Great Demon Kingdom

Night had fallen by the time Yuri's eyes fluttered open. Confusion clouded his mind. Frowning, his eyebrows drawn, he struggled to sit up, but the room swayed and the bed tilted underneath him. Yuri squeezed his eyes shut with a groan. He gripped the bed sheets on either side of him so tightly his knuckles turned white. Once the swaying stopped, Yuri risked opening his eyes. He sighed when the world stayed right side up.

Yuri glanced around. Where was he exactly?

"You wimp."

A sleep filled murmur drew his attention from the inspection of the unfamiliar chamber. The panic that had been rising within him slipped away when he saw Wolfram sleeping peacefully at his side. Yuri smiled at the sight. He reached out and lightly touched the golden curls.

In his sleep, Wolfram moaned out Yuri's name.

Yuri chuckled silently.

"You awake Shibuya?"

"Murata," Yuri greeted his old friend who stepped out of the shadows besides the bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

Yuri shook his head. "The last thing I remember…" He sorted through his memories. "I was…with Sera and Rey and then…" He shook his head. "Nothing." Everything went black after that. The next thing he could recall was waking up here. "Where are we by the way?"

"The clinic."

"Oh! That's right. It used to be the guest wing." Now he remembered. "So, what happened? Why am I here? Why can't I remember anything?"

"Simple. You fainted."

Yuri blinked. "Really?"

Ken nodded.

"Hm." Yuri drew his brows together in concentration as he fought through the haze surrounding his memories. Weird. He has not blacked out like this in a very long time.

"So? What happened? You can't remember anything?"

"I can't…?" Yuri's hand clasped at the black pajama top. Something flittered into and out of his mind. It teased him, coming close enough for him to reach out and grab it, but when he tried to do just that, it evaporated into smoke that curled around his fingers and rose into the air just out of reach. He had a feeling it was something important.

"Well, that's okay. Don't force it. I'm sure you'll remember eventually." Ken tried to sound reassuring.

Frowning, Yuri nodded slowly in agreement, though his mind was still trying to process how he came to be at the clinic.

There was movement besides him. "Mmm. Yuri?"

"Hey, Wolf." Yuri turned towards the mother of his children. The Royal Prince looked like a child as he sat there rubbing his eyes with his fists.

At the sound of Yuri's voice, the vestiges of sleep vanished. "Yuri!" Wolfram threw himself at his husband.

Yuri cried out in surprise at the unexpected action. Losing his balance, Yuri toppled over, sending them both crashing backwards into the bed.

"Well, I'll leave you two at it," Ken chuckled. "I'll inform Gisela that you are awake."

Neither Yuri nor Wolfram took notice of the Sage's exit.

"Wolf…you're…chok…ing…me," Yuri managed to gasp out.

"Good. That's what you get for scaring me like that," Wolfram scolded.

A pang of guilt erupted through Yuri. "I'm sorry," he whispered, hugging his arms around Wolfram.

oOo

Wrapped in each other's arms, the royal couple stared out the window opposite the bed up into the clear midnight sky.

"Wow. It's so beautiful."

"Yeah."

"I can never get over how clear the sky is here," Yuri confessed. "You can't see the stars like this back home."

"I noticed that. Why is that?"

Yuri shrugged. "Don't know. Probably from all the lights. You'd have to go out into the country to see the night sky like this."

"What a waste."

"Yeah," Yuri agreed. "Hey. Where're Sera and Rey?"

"Mother is looking after them with Greta's help."

"Lady Celi? I thought she was-?"

"Yeah she was, but she returned as soon as she heard you'd collapsed."

"Why?" Yuri blinked in confusion. "She didn't have to do that."

Lady Celi had been in Missinigh at the annual Great Demon Kingdom Alliance conference. This year's theme had been on domestic violence. It was a very important topic, especially for Anissina's women's enlightenment movement. Yuri could not believe that Lady Celi would give up the conference for him.

Wolfram was aghast at his king's attitude. "What? You insensitive wimp! Of course she did! Not only are you her king, but also my husband, her son-in-law! She was worried about you. We were all worried. Gisela could find nothing wrong, but what if she had? What if it'd been something serious?" He choked on his words. "If anything were to happen to you…" Tears stung his eyes.

"…Wolf…"

"This kingdom would…" Wolfram cleared his throat violently and blinked his eyes rapidly to dispel the gathering water. This was no time to appear weak. "There'd be turmoil, Yuri."

"I'm sorry." Yuri felt that pang of guilt jolt through him again. It seemed he was always making them worry unnecessarily about him.

"You keep saying that!"

"I know. I'm sorry."

Wolfram growled. "Oh, stop it!" He pushed up out of the comfort of Yuri's arms and glared down at him. "If you are so sorry, then stop doing things that you need to apologize for!"

Yuri smiled sadly at the porcelain skinned beauty that he had married two short months ago at the Temple of the Water Dragons. The marque of an eloper may have faded from their hands, but Yuri could still see it in his mind's eye. He reached out and lightly touched Wolfram's cheek. The ring on his finger sparkled in the moonlight.

"Y-Yuri?" Wolfram stuttered, turning red. "What-?"

"There's something else…that I have to apologize for," Yuri confessed in a soft voice.

Immediately suspicion crossed Wolfram's features. His emerald eyes narrows. "What did you do?" His voice was low and hard. "So help me if you-"

Yuri shook his head in denial. Wolfram didn't have to finish that threat for Yuri to know where he was going with it. "Wolf, I told you that if I ever did anything to hurt you, I'd be the first to offer Gwendal my head. I love you."

Wolfram turned his face away to hide the fact that a pinkish tinge colored his cheeks. "Of course," he said in the haute attitude of his.

Chuckling, Yuri drew Wolfram down beside him on the bed. He sighed as Wolfram wrapped around him. The smile dropped from Yuri's face. "No, this happened when I was still a kid during one of my father's frequent trips to America. Long before I met you or the others. Long before I knew…anything of the Great Demon Kingdom."

Wolfram frowned. Yuri's arm dropped to the bed when Wolfram pushed up onto his elbow in a sort of pushup motion and stared down at Yuri. "Why are you telling me this?"

Yuri turned away from Wolfram's inquiring gaze to gaze back out the window. Wolfram's art studio was located directly across the court yard. He wondered if putting him in this specific room had been on purpose.

Wolfram was beginning to get worried. This was not like Yuri at all. He sat up. "Yuri."

"Because…"

"Because what?" Wolfram prodded. "What's going on? Yuri," he called when Yuri remained silent. Forget his concern. He was starting to get angry. "Yuri!" Wolfram grabbed Yuri's shoulder and forced him to look at him. The sight that met his gaze threw him for a momentary loop. "What-? Yuri?" For the four years that he has known Yuri, this was only the second time witnessing him crying.

Sitting up, Yuri stared down at the bed sheet crumpled around him. He brushed at the annoying tickle of tears. "Kojiro."

Wolfram gave a start. That name! Something about it sounded familiar. Then it hit him.

o

"Who is what? What are you talking about Wolfram?" Yuri asked turning back to face Wolfram who rode besides him atop his own gleaming white mare.

"This Kojiro person you keep muttering about."

Yuri went still. His face went white. Dear Great One Shinou! Had he actually said that aloud? Oh Gods, no! Yuri felt faint. He knew he would have to confess to Wolfram this last secret someday, but he was far from ready. He wondered if he would ever be.

o

It was the same name!

"This was back when my mom would…Ya know."

Wolfram snickered at the mental image. He'd seen the many photographs his mother-in-law kept. Dozens of albums filled with pictures of Yuri in frilly, lacey dresses, his raven hair in pigtails and with such a look of innocence on his face. The king had been very cute.

Yuri threw Wolfram an evil glare.

Try as he might, Wolfram could not stop the grin or smother the laughter that bubbled up within him.

With an annoyed sigh, Yuri turned to stare out the window again. His face went slack and his eyes glazed over. They took on a blank expression.

Seeing such a look on Yuri's face, Wolfram's merriment of his husband's tortured childhood died. He reached out and smoothed back Yuri's long silky black locks that had fallen free from the black ribbon that imprisoned them at the nape of his neck.

"You're gross!"

A tear slid down Yuri's face as the ache that had never truly dissipated from that day reawakened. "My mom thought using me like her…" Yuri searched his mind for the appropriate word. "…doll…" It was closest he could come to describe that time. "…was harmless. I was 'cute'. It was a way for her and me to spend time together because 'boys are boring' and don't want to eat parfaits at the mall with their mothers. She never really said so much in words, but she always regretted never having a daughter."

Wolfram didn't know what to say to that. It was kind of sad in a way. To think that one's own mother would rather her son be her daughter. That knowledge had to wound one's heart. To realize you were this big disappointment. Whether that was the case or not, that was the perception Yuri's mother gave off.

"I didn't protest at first."

"Why?"

Yuri shrugged. "Who knows? I was young. Didn't know any better. Maybe I enjoyed it." That last one sounded plausible. It would make sense combined with what happened as a result. "Koji was the youngest son of one of my father's business partners who was also on the trip to America with us. I found this out later," he added. "At the time, he was just a cute boy I met at the park."

Wolfram was beginning to develop a bad feeling. "How old were you?"

"I'm not sure. Five maybe?"

"So you liked this Kojiro guy?"

"Yes."

Wolfram wrapped his arms around Yuri from behind. He rested his cheek against his husband's waist.

"He was on the swings when Shori brought me to the park that wasn't too far from out hotel."

Closing his eyes, Wolfram tightened his hold around Yuri and felt strangely comforted by his rumbling voice vibrating through him.

"I thought it was so cool how high he could go. Almost as if he could touch the sky." Yuri could picture Kojiro in his mind now. A look of merriment and glee on his face. Brown shorts. Brown and beige stripped t-shirt. "I was mesmerized."

Wolfram raised his head and kissed the space between Yuri's shoulder blades. "He…betrayed you?" he guessed.

"You're gross."

"…Yes."

"Boys don't wear dresses. Girls do."

"Freak!"

"You're gross!"

Another tear slid down Yuri's cheek. "We got to be good friends. Every day, we'd meet at the park and play. One day, it was raining and Shori refused to take me to the park."

"Of course," Wolfram snorted. "You'd get sick playing out in the rain."

Yuri smiled. "Yeah. At the time that was the last thing on my mind though. All I cared about was going outside to play."

"You snuck out."

"Yup," Yuri said proudly.

"Wimp. You never change."

Yuri laughed. Though outstanding, unforeseen circumstances could change that, they say who you are at six years old is who you will be until the day you die. It was no different with Yuri. He quickly sobered. "Shori was watching some boring show on TV and my parents were arguing. So, it was easy to sneak out without being seen."

"In the rain?"

"In the rain."

"You're lucky you didn't catch your death out there," Wolfram reprimanded.

"Yeah…"

"So," the Royal Prince prodded. "What happened?" And did he really want to know?

"I waited and waited…But he didn't show up." Knowing what he knew now, Yuri wished it would have stayed that way.

oOo

Thirteen Years Ago - Boston, Massachusetts

The screen split. The credits rolled across one portion at supersonic speed while commercials played on the other side. At the bottom of the screen, Prehistoric Predators announced it was up next followed later by Chaos Theory. As if breaking free from a hypnotic trance, Shori stretched, working the kinks out of his body and trying to loosen his joints stiff from remaining in one position for so long. A yawn seized him. He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. Maybe he would grab a quick nap before dinner.

Fixing his glasses, he cocked his head and listened. His mother's distinctive laughter floated to his ears. It sounded as if his parents finally stopped fighting. Honestly. With as much as they argued you would think they were the children. The problem was his father was a spineless coward when it came to his mother and his mother was too strong willed for her own good-not that he wanted his mother to become a prim and submissive wife, Shori just wanted him to tone it down a little.

"It looks like the rain finally stopped Yu-chan," he noticed when he gazed out the window. "Do you still want to go to the park?" When no answer was forth coming, Shori glanced down at his brother. Had he fallen asleep? He blinked. "Yu-chan?" Yuri was gone. He peered around the bedroom. "Yu-chan?" He slid off the bed. "Yu-chan?"

Shori crossed the room and stuck his head out into the hall. His dark gaze scanned the kitchen, dining room and living room in one sweep. Empty. Maybe he was going to the bathroom. A check of their bathroom proved that a false assumption. Next, he checked their closet. Nothing. A check of the closet by the door of their suite yielded the same results. Panic wormed its way up his throat, but he squelched it quickly. He had yet to check their parents' bedroom. Yuri really was not into science programs. They tended to put him to sleep. Besides, his little brother was such a mama's boy. It would not surprise him if his little brother were with their mother, especially if she had splurged on some new dresses just as she always did when they came to the States.

He knocked lightly on his parents' bedroom door. When there was a muffled reply, he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. "Mother? Have you seen Yu-chan?" he inquired as he stepped inside the room.

Immediately, he noticed that his father, Shoma Shibuya, was sitting in a chair by the open sliding glass doors that led out onto a balcony that overlooked the hotel swimming pool in the courtyard below. At his feet was Miko "call-me-'Jennifer'" Shibuya. Just as he guessed, she was surrounded by a sea of brightly colored dresses, all with bows, lace, sequins and frilly bits. Whom he could not see was his little brother.

"Yu-chan?" Jennifer echoed around a deep blood red dress.

Shoma lowered the newspaper that he was reading. "Wasn't he with you?"

"He was, but now I can't find him."

Jennifer set the dress aside and picked up another one. This one was a brilliant white with red lace around the neck, puffy sleeves and the hem. A red satin sash around the waist was tied into a giant bow at the back. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere. You know how your brother is."

Shori wanted to be as optimistic as his mother was, but he could not. The problem was he did know his little brother and Yuri never left his side.

Shoma folded his newspaper and set it aside. His face was lined with worry.

"Maybe he went swimming," Jennifer suggested brightly. "That actually sounds like a good idea. Maybe we should join him?"

Please let that be the case, Shoma pleaded silently. This was not like Yuri. He never wandered off unless he was with Sho-chan. He hoped nothing bad happened to him.

The sound of knocking caught their attention. Shoma's head snapped up and around. Jennifer glanced up from her examination of the collection of exquisite dresses to her husband. Shori tensed.

Shoma pushed out of his chair, skirted his son and wife, and made his way as fast as he could, but trying to look as if he was not hurrying to the door of their suite. His heart was beating a wicked tempo inside of his chest. He released the complicated lock and threw open the door. He gasped at the sight before him. "Yu-chan!"

There was a clatter of sound behind him. "Yu-chan?" he heard his wife call out. Then she was besides him. She gasped. "Oh my! Yu-chan! What happened to your dress?"

Shori pushed his way between his parents and froze at the sight of his little brother. "Yu-chan?" The once butter yellow dress with lace around the cuffs, hem and neckline and layers of twill that caused the dress to have the appearance of a bell was streaked with dirt and had lost both its brilliance and puffiness. The dress looked dead and so did his brother.

oOo

Present Time - Covenant Castle - Great Demon Kingdom

"Well Your Majesty, you appear to be in good physical health," Gisela commented as she stood after her examination of the Demon King.

Yuri let out the pent up breath he had been holding. "Wow. That's a relief. Thank you, Gisela. Sorry you had to get up in the middle of the night."

"It was no problem, Your Majesty."

"But what happened?" Wolfram demanded of the war veteran medic from his husband's side. "What would make him pass out like that?"

Yuri scratched the back of his head. It was a nervous gesture that Wolfram did not miss. His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I'm not sure," Gisela admitted. "Like I said, nothing is physically wrong with His Majesty."

"Well nothing did not make him pass out like he did," Wolfram snapped.

"Maybe Shibuya needs to take some time off," suggested a voice from behind them.

"Hey, Murata," Yuri greeted his old friend.

"What do you mean time off?" Wolfram demanded. "As the Demon King-!"

"That's exactly what I mean," Ken interrupted the Prince Consort.

"What?"

"I mean," Ken said as he stepped into the chamber.

Gisela bowed slightly and retreated out of the way.

"As the king, Shibuya has legislative, judicial and economic responsibilities. He has to preserve, protect and defend the Kingdom and execute her laws. There are economic, social and regulatory measures he has to deal with. Then there's quelling disorder among the populace, suppressing insurrection, investigating any and all terrorist threats, appointing representatives, propose legislation, repel foreign invasion like those consistent skirmishes with Small and Big Cimarron, grant pardons and reprieves for criminals when explicable, direct administrative agencies, deal with budgetary and tax proposals, negotiate treaties, execute agreements with foreign countries and not to mention there was that disastrous earthquake that all but destroyed Guilloche last month."

Put that way, Yuri had to wonder just what he had been thinking when he agreed to be Demon King. His head was spinning just listening to Ken, though nothing Ken said was news to him.

"Add to that two screaming newborns." With his index finger, Ken shoved his glasses back up his nose. "Can you really blame him for passing out when he did? Frankly, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."

"That just goes to show what a wimp he is," Wolfram declared with a haute humph, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What?" Yuri exclaimed. He turned towards the blond. "You call not being able to juggle a hundred things at once being a wimp?"

"Yes! What would you call it?"

"Human," Yuri retorted.

Wolfram snorted.

"Wolfram, in case you forgot, unlike you, I am only eighteen year old and yet here I am running one of the largest and most influential nations on the planet practically all by myself and on top of that, I'm married and have three kids! Cut me a little slack. I'm only one person. I'm not Superman."

Wolfram tensed. He immediately grew suspicious. He had never heard mention of this "Superman" before. His emerald jeweled eyes flashed before they narrowed. "And who, pray tell, is this…'super man'?" he demanded. "Is he-?"

Yuri's heavy sigh drowned out the rest of Wolfram accusation, but he knew the drill by now. Rolling his eyes, he flopped backwards, bouncing lightly on the mattress before settling. Kill me now, he prayed silently.

"Hey! Wimp! Are you even listening to me?" yelled his husband's in his face.

Not really, he thought.

Ken snickered into his fist.

Wolfram's face hardened. "What was that?" His voice had dropped to a deadly whisper.

Yuri sighed and turned his head to look at Wolfram. "Wolf…"

"You know, Lord Bielefelt," Ken said, interrupting whatever it was Yuri was going to say, "Yuri isn't the first Demon King to faint."

Yuri winced at the word Ken used. "Faint" sounded like something women did.

"In fact, the Great One passed out numerous times." However, if you asked him, he would deny it.

Wolfram blinked. His anger drained out of him at the unexpected factoid.

Gisela nodded in agreement. "You do too much and don't get enough rest, it can make you sick. Or worse. I've seen it many times, especially out on the battle field."

Yawning, Yuri rubbed his eye aching eyes.

Gisela's gaze slid to the king. She immediately snapped to attention when she noticed the dark circles and bags under her king's eyes. "Alright." She clapped her hands together. "That's enough for tonight. I want all of you out. His Majesty needs his rest."

"Night Shibuya."

"Night, Murata," Yuri called after his friend.

"You, too, Lord Wolfram," Gisela told the fiery blond.

"What?!"

"Wolf, it's okay." Yuri smiled up at his husband, lover, partner and mother of his children. "I bet your mother could use a rest after watching Sera, Rey and Greta's probably worried."

The protest died on Wolfram's lips. "Fine." Despite, or maybe in spite of, their audience, he enfolded Yuri in a heated embrace and captured his lips in a passionate kiss that left the other man breathless and blushing fiercely.

Gisela giggled lightly at the expression on His Majesty's face.

"Coming Gisela?" Wolfram called over her shoulder as he marched out of the chamber.

"Good night Wolfram. Gisela."

Gisela bowed deeply at the waist in the doorway of the chamber before vanishing after Wolfram.

Once he was alone, all the adrenaline rushed out of him. He stared up at the ceiling lost amidst the shadows.

"You're gross! Boys don't wear dresses, girls do. Are you some sort of pervert? Freak!"

Despite the layers of blankets Wolfram had insisted on, he grew cold as the taunting laughter seemed to fill the suddenly large, empty chamber that was only lit by the light of the full moon. The chill seeped deep within his bones and made friends with his marrow. This was not the type of chill that any amount of blankets could chase away. No roaring fire would make him feel warm on this night.

"Now don't call him that, Kojiro. I think your little friend looks adorable in that yellow dress."

As the leering voice continued to echo in his mind, Yuri flipped onto his side and curled into a fetal position, scrunching into the smallest target he could. His hands flew to his head. Obsidian eyes squeezed shut.

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up," he whispered.

"Tell me, Yu-chan, are you wearing a slip underneath that dress?"

A tear slipped unseen down Yuri's cheek.

oOo

Thirteen Years Ago - Boston, Massachusetts

It did not seem the rain was going to let up anytime soon. It was coming down in torrential sheets now. From his hiding place under the slide, the sound of the rain was almost deafening. His teeth were chattering. His back was beginning to cramp from shivering so much. The pretty yellow dress his mother dressed him in this morning was soaked through and clung to him. Yuri hugged his arms tighter around himself as a chill breeze blew across the deserted playground. It shifted the direction of the rain. The harsh drops were suddenly slamming like thousands of little needles into his face. He cried out and averted his face away.

Maybe he should go home. Coming out today had not been a wise decision. He was nearly frozen to the bone. His stomach was so empty it was trying to devour itself. Not to mention that Kojiro was nowhere in sight. Where was he? Kojiro said he would be here. Yuri wondered if maybe he should wait a little while longer just in case Kojiro decided to show up? He did not want to leave and then have Kojiro show up and he not be here. Kojiro might not want to play with him again if he thought he did not keep his promises. No. He would wait. Kojiro would be here. He would.

Yuri sneezed violently.

He just wished he had brought his yellow rain slicker.

oOo

Present Time - Covenant Castle - Great Demon Kingdom

Wolfram's enraged cry could be heard throughout the entire castle. The flock of dwarf Tori birds that had just recently returned to their roost in the tree outside the castle walls squawked their annoyance and took flight into what had started out as a calm, peacefully morning here in the Great Demon Kingdom.

oOo

In his office, a vein pulsated dangerously in Gwendal's forehead. His grip tightened around the black quill. Once again, he was stuck doing the backlog of paperwork that had piled up when the great and powerful Demon King had fainted. He snorted in derision. There should be no need to put those words together in the same sentence. Demon King. Faint. How…how…embarrassing! It was ridiculous; ludicrous; preposterous; absurd! What if their enemies found out? They would be the laughing stock of the…the...of the entire planet! Nobody would take them serious again!

Gwendal heaved a heavy tired sigh. This was his lot in life apparently; to clean up after the misadventures of his King. Was he being forsaken by the Great One? Was that it? Was it punishment for something he did in a past life?

"Definitely," he muttered as he scrawled his name at the bottom of yet another document.

oOo

Not a single one of his men so much as blinked when the sound of their Prince's infuriated scream echoed out of the castle. Conrart chuckled as he parried one of his men's moves easily. There was never a dull moment. He wondered what His Majesty did this time?

oOo

In the sunroom, Greta raised her head from her schoolwork. "Huh? Was that Wolfram?"

oOo

Having been put down for their afternoon naps, Rey and Seraphina lay sound asleep in their twin cribs in the nursery. Neither so much as twitched at the sound of their mother's irate cry.

oOo

"Now, Lord Bielefelt," Ken tried to pacify the Prince as Wolfram stared down at the empty bed in the hospital wing of Covenant Castle.

"Where did that wimp go this time?" Wolfram bellowed.

"Shibuya just had a few things he needed to-"

"I don't give a flying boney's ass what he had to do," Wolfram interrupted the Sage. "Where-is-my-husband."

Ken sighed heavily. "Earth."

"What?!"

"Like I said-"

"Shut up," Wolfram snapped angrily at his husband's best friend. "Damn that wimp! Just wait till I get my hands on him!"

Ken chuckled nervously as Wolfram stomped away mumbling angrily to himself and levying what could almost be considered treasonous threats against the Demon King. He did not envy Yuri in the least.

oOo

Minatoa-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Yuri sneezed violently.

He wondered if they had discovered he was missing yet. After that stunt he pulled several months back where he'd used his powers to teleport himself from that torture session with the seamstress to his bedchamber, he had received quite a tongue-lashing from both of his brothers-in-law.

If they only knew, he thought with an amused chuckle.

At least he had been able to intervene in the punishment that had been handed down to his poor Black Knights for losing their charge. Thank the Great One for that. After all, it had been his fault that his personal Knights had lost him. Nothing they could have done would have stopped him from abandoning his hellish fitting session. So instead of being discharged or executed (which has been known to happen in extremely rare cases), they had just been suspended for a short period of time. Now he was never left alone. Ever. He had only himself to blame for that.

His expression turned sober.

Wolfram was going to murder Yuri when he learned that Yuri left without telling him, but he needed some space. He needed some peace and quiet in order to think. Coming to Earth was the only place where he could have that solitude because it was the one place that his Black Knights never accompanied him. Yet. Though he had the feeling that that might change in the near future.

A childish squeal captured his attention.

Across from where he was lounging on a bench was a rocky ledge water fountain made of some sort of red stone. Water splashed down the numerous tiers to land in a lighted pool at the base. He smiled wistfully as he watched several small children splashing around illegally in the water.

Leaning his head against the back of the bench, he stared blankly into the pristine blue sky and exhaled noisily.

Truthfully, he was not sure how he wound up here. This public park here in Minato was not that far from where his parents resided in Chiyoda, but just the fact that he could not remember how he had come to be here should have sent up warning flags, but his mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions that there just wasn't any more room.

He had promised himself that he would tell Wolfram everything about that dark period in his life, but he just…Wolfram was not going to judge him or abandon him or blame him. He hoped. It was something he had to believe. If Wolfram ever left him, he was not sure what he would do.

oOo

A date. A date. He had a date. If this was a dream, he did not want it to ever end. Heaving a content sigh, Shuichi gazed up at his new husband dreamily. Husband. He giggled gaily. That had a nice ring to it.

From the corner of his golden hazel eyes, Eiri glanced down at his lithe baka. The corner of his lips twitched.

With his arm tucked through that of Eiri's, Shuichi hummed happily as he and Eiri strolled through the park together.

He took in the park that was crowded with people as it usually was during midday on the weekend. This was the same park where he met Eiri on that fateful night years ago, the same park in which they had exchanged vows not too long ago. Sometime in the near future (if he had his way), this would be the same park where they brought their children.

Through the crowd of black haired, dark eyed Japanese, a familiar figure caught his attention. He grinned. Pulling his arm free of Eiri's, he darted off, vanishing into the crowd and leaving Eiri to blink after him.

oOo

"Yuri!"

At the sound of his name, Yuri was jerked out of his thoughts. Sitting up, he searched about curiously as to who the person with the set of lungs was. Yuri was such a common enough name nowadays that there was no guarantee that he was the one being addressed. It was like that back when he was in middle school. Someone would shout, "Yuri" in the hallway and about a third of his classmates would answer. Granted that they were all girls, but it was the principle that mattered here. Besides, the only people who knew he was here were back in the Great Demon Kingdom. He would say that only Ken and Wolfram knew, but knowing his husband's big mouth, it was a guarantee that the whole castle knew by now.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a blur of pink mixed among the sea of black. Before he could do anything more than blink, something came barreling into him from out of nowhere. It slammed into him, knocking the wind out of him. He was sent tumbling off the bench and onto the ground. It was a good thing that the grass was so soft.

"Baka," barked a harsh, deep voice over him.

What the heck just hit him? A semi?

Just as suddenly and unexpectedly as it appeared, the heavy weight vanished and he was able to breathe again. Rolling onto his side, Yuri coughed. He winced when a jolt of pain slashed through his chest. He wondered if he broke a rib.

"You okay?" the voice asked him.

"Yeah," Yuri sighed. He raised his head to find a large pair of amethyst eyes mere centimeters from his own. With a surprised yelp, he tumbled backwards to land sprawled out flat on his back.

There was a giggle above him followed by a heavy sigh.

"Idiot," mumbled a voice. "Must you?"

"Must I what?"

There was a sigh again. "Never mind."

Wincing, Yuri pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Ow," he muttered. Cautiously this time, he pried open an eye. Two figures came into focus. One was on the shorter side with dyed pink cotton candy colored hair. The other one was close to six feet tall with dirty blond hair. He recognized them immediately. Obsidian eyes flew open in surprise. "Shuichi. Eiri. What're you…?"

Shuichi giggled. "Hey, Yuri. What's up?"

"Uhm, nothing, but…what're you doing here?"

"Here." Eiri reached out and helped the boy to his feet. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Thanks."

"We live here," Shuichi answered.

"Really? I never knew that."

"Well, here in Minato, not here as in here in the park," Shuichi explained.

Eiri rolled his eyes. He reached out and gave Shuichi a good slap upside the head.

Shuichi yelped out. Tears sprang to his eyes. "What the hell?"

"Sorry bout the brat," Eiri apologized to his cousin-in-law. "He's a little hyper."

"Oh, no. It's okay." He was actually used to his cousin's antics by now.

"Hey! Yuri! Yuri! Guess what?"

"What?" Yuri turned towards his cousin.

Shuichi stepped forward. His violet eyes sparkled. He held out his left hand.

Yuri noticed a second thinner plain gold band alongside the 24 karat engagement band on his cousin's finger.

"We finally got married," Shuichi gushed.

"Wow! Congratulations!"

Shuichi opened his mouth to tell Yuri all about the beautiful ceremony that they had gotten permission to hold here at his and Eiri's park, but before he could utter a single word, Eiri spoke up.

"So, Yuri. What brings you here?"

Yuri's face fell. He shoved his hands in the pockets of the jeans he had changed into when he first arrived back on Earth and shrugged listlessly. He studied the grass carpet under his sneakers.

Shuichi's face in an instant became serious. Giving his husband a meaningful look, he linked his arm with Yuri's and steered the younger man aside.

Yuri blinked. "Shuichi? What-?"

"I stopped by the other day, but Aunt Jennifer said that you weren't there."

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

"Hm. That's okay. Say, did Wolfram come with you?" Shuichi asked, changing the subject so quickly it left Yuri with whiplash. "And what about the babies?"

Yuri shook his head.

"Too bad," Shuichi pouted. "Next time. Got it?" He poked a finger in Yuri's chest for emphasis.

Yuri chuckled. "Sure thing."

As the two of them strolled arm in arm through the thick throng of people, silence stretched between them.

Wolfram would like it here, Yuri decided. There was lots of shade from all the tall leafy trees. Many of the trees, if not all of them, had been donated by various committees and organizations. There were so many that they had created a sort of pseudo-forest. There was numerous flowerbeds with a wide variety of flowers from all over the world. A path wound around the manmade pond located in the center of the park. Once a week there was a free concert here. Married couples used the beautiful scenery as a backdrop for their wedding photos. Every once in a while, a wedding ceremony would even be held here.

"Did you talk to him yet?"

The sound of his cousin's voice startled him out of his thoughts. "What?"

"Wolfram. Did you, ya know, talk to him?"

"Oh." Yuri understood what Shuichi was trying to ask. "Well, yeah…sorta."

Shuichi hummed. "You can't put it off forever."

"I know."

"I wonder," he heard Shuichi mutter.

"Shu-?"

Shuichi released Yuri's arm. "Wait here," he commanded and then he was off.

oOo

Eiri was lounging in comfortable silence on the bench his idiot husband's cousin had been sumo slammed out of by said idiot husband. He took a drag of his cigarette. The tip glowed eerily. Tipping his head back, he exhaled a steady stream of grey smoke into the air. He watched in fascination as the light breeze took hold of it. Closing his eyes, he stretched his arms out along the back of the bench.

"Yuki!"

His eyes snapped open.

"Yuki!"

He knew it had been too good to be true.

"Yuki!"

He swore that Shuichi had something against silence. Maybe it was a phobia.

"YU. KI!"

Now that he partially deaf…

"You better not be ignoring me Eiri."

It'd serve you right, he thought to himself.

"Eiri Uesugi."

Eiri sighed. "What?" He turned his head to the side.

Shuichi was kneeling besides him on the bench, a deep scowl on his face, but as soon as Eiri graced him with his attention, a grin wiped it aside.

Bi-polar much? Seriously. When Shuichi remained silent, Eiri waved his hand. "Yes? Was there something you wanted or do you just like the sound of my name?"

Shuichi snatched the mobile hand and stood up.

"What are you doing?" Eiri asked his lithe baka calmly when Shuichi began tugging on his hand uselessly.

Sometimes Shuichi did not like the fact that he was such a weakling. "I need you to talk to Yuri."

Eiri cocked his eyebrow. "And I need to do something like that…why?"

Shuichi stopped the futile attempt at trying to budge Eiri off the bench. The larger hand clasped within his, he hung his head and tried to gather his thoughts. "You're the only person who may know what he's going through."

"What? Being married to an idiot?" Eiri teased.

Usually that would elicit some sort of reaction, but not this time.

"Please. Eiri," Shuichi pleaded in a deadly calm and serious voice that he ever rarely showed. He lifted his head and locked gazes with that of his husband's.

Eiri sighed. There was that look again. Damn the baka to hell and back. "Fine, but not here."

Shuichi grinned. "Thanks, Yuki."

He was so whipped.

oOo

Shindou-Uesugi Residence

Standing at the closed sliding glass doors that led out onto the balcony that stretched around the entire condominium, the metal, glass and neon lights that was Tokyo stretched out before him for as for as the eye could see. The breathtakingly beautiful sight continued to remain unseen by the obsidian eyes watching her. They were instead captivated by a very different city that was superimposed over the true city of lights. It was a sight only those eyes darker than night could see. Neither could he could hear his cousin babbling away happily from the kitchen of the condominium he shared with his longtime partner, the romance novelist Eiri Yuki, where the newlyweds were preparing some tea and cakes.

Yuri reached out and touched the glass tentatively.

"You're gross!"

"Pervert!"

"Freak!"

He jerked his hand back as if he'd been scorched.

It was…What was it? What was the right word to describe the events that occurred that miserably rainy day thirteen years ago in Boston? He'd snuck out of the hotel where they'd been staying against his parents, as well as Shori's, wishes in order to see Kojiro. He'd liked Kojiro. The older boy had been his first friend, his best friend he remembered calling him at the time, as well as his first crush, his first love. Even as the dark storm clouds turned day into night, as bolts of lightning ripped the sky apart, as thunder shook the very air, as rain continued to pound into his skin like thousands of needles, as the warmth slowly trickled out of him, he had remained there hidden under the slid waiting for Kojiro, hoping that by some slim chance he too would sneak out, just as eager to see him.

oOo

Thirteen years Ago - Boston, Massachusetts

"Yu-chan! Yu-chan!"

Soaked and chilled to the bone, Yuri froze. He prayed it was not Mama or Daddy or, even worse, Big Brother Shori. They would surely force him to return to the hotel before he had a chance to see Kojiro. Shori said last night as they were getting ready for bed that they were leaving Boston and returning home tomorrow. When he asked Mama if that was true, she said it was. Now that Daddy was finished with the work that had brought them all halfway around the world there was no reason to remain here. Besides, summer vacation was almost over with and classes would be starting fairly soon. So this would be his last chance to see Kojiro before they left. Their fathers may work for the same company but while his father worked at the company headquarters in Chiyoda, Kojiro's father worked at the Akita branch. There would be little chance of ever seeing Kojiro after today. Cautiously, he lifted his head at the sound of his name, peered through the curtain of raven black bangs dripping with water, and glanced around the park.

He was delighted that who he spotted tearing through the deserted park towards him was neither his parents nor Shori, but Kojiro. His mood did a one-eighty, going instantly from despondent to ecstatic. Grinning like a madman, he called loudly over the sound of the pounding rain, "Ko-kun," as his face grew warm and his stomach started getting that funny feeling it usually did when he saw Kojiro. Jumping up and down, he waved wildly.

He did come! He did!

So intent he was on being able to see Kojiro one last time, he failed to notice the figure lurking up behind him until the dark shadow engulfed him.

oOo

Present - Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan

He had been on the verge of giving up all hope of seeing Kojiro one last time before they were to return home to Japan when Kojiro had appeared from out of nowhere shouting his name, waving and smiling that gorgeous smile of his that had always caused him to blush and send those butterflies in his stomach a flutter. He had been so happy! It seemed as if Kojiro too had defied his parents' orders and snuck out of the house to see him. What he had not counted on was that unlike him, Kojiro had brought his older brother Ren along with him.

"Well, well," Ren purred. "So this is your little 'girlfriend', eh, 'Ko-kun'?"

Kojiro strode forward and clasped Yuri's cold, wet hand. "Yes," he confirmed proudly with a stubborn lift of his chin.

"She's very cute little brother," Ren winked.

Kojiro blushed madly. "Shut up!"

Ren chuckled. "But…" His dark gaze scanned the five-year-old whose yellow dress clung to the tiny frame. "I didn't know you swung that way."

Kojiro blinked blankly. "What way?"

Ren beamed a wide smile at his little brother. "You should've just told me you were gay."

Yuri tightened his grip around the green handle-less teacup with its white silhouette of bamboo. The masala chai had long since grown cold.

His face red, Kojiro shouted, "I am not gay!"

"Oh?" Ren lifted an eyebrow. He threw a glance at Yuri.

Yuri was not sure what was going on or what this "gay" was supposed to be, but he was getting a bad feeling. Maybe sneaking out of the hotel was not such a good idea after all. He tried prying his hand out of Kojiro's, but the older boy's grasp was too tight.

"Then why are you holding his hand?"

Confused, Kojiro blinked. "What?" What was his older brother playing at? "I'm not. I'm holding her hand."

"Not you're not."

"Yes I am!"

Ren sighed. This runaround was getting old quickly. "Look, quit denying it. I'm not going to be mad. I'm not going to tell Mom or Dad and I'm not going to stop you from seeing little Yu-chan here. If you're gay, you're gay. There's no shame in it."

Something snapped in Kojiro. "I am not gay! If I was then why would I be holding Yu-chan's hand?" he demanded angrily.

"Exactly."

All the anger drained out of Kojiro at once. "Huh?"

Eiri's own teacup was one he had received from Shuichi this past Christmas. It was a black lacquered handle-less cup with a brown rim. The characters for "good fortune" and "long life" were visible on either side of the cup. Rotating his wrist, he watched in hypnotic fascination as the liquid swirled around within the cup, creating a vortex.

Now he knew why his baka husband wanted him to speak with Yuri, even though Shuichi himself had had a similar experience.

When he halted the movement of his wrist, the vortex vanished as the last of the now cold tea slowly came to a standstill. The dregs settled at the bottom.

They really were the same, Yuri and him. Their experiences were not quite the same, but he could understand what the younger man was going through much more than Shuichi could.

"…I wish I could tell you that…"

Yuri lifted his head and stared at his cousin's partner.

Eiri lifted his gaze from the small gritty particles at the bottom of his teacup to the young man sitting opposite him on the sofa. "…You can pretend all you want that it never happened, but in the end you'll only be hurting not only yourself, but the others around you."

Yuri dropped his gaze and watched his fingers squirm around the smooth surface of the cup. He'd been spending so long running from his past and looking behind him to see if it was following him that he's almost run right passed his future. He'd come so close to losing…everything.

"It's not something that you'll ever forget."

Yuri nodded slowly. That he knew, all too well.

"You can try all you want, but just when you think you've locked it up tight in a sealed drum encased in cement and buried it at the bottom of the ocean, it'll resurface to slap you upside the head. If that happens, it'll be like reliving the horrid event all over again so it's best to confront your past before something like that happens. But just tackling your demons head on will not make them go away. This is something that'll be with you for the rest of your life whether you like it or not. Some days will be better than others. Most days you'll be fine and then out of the blue…You'll not want to get out of bed, but as long as you have people who love and support you around you, you'll never be alone."

"Never be alone," Yuri repeated. An image of Wolfram popped into his mind. A smile slowly curled his lips. Warmth spread through him. Yeah. That was right. He had his husband and their three beautiful children. If he had them, then he would be able to move passed this hurdle. "Yeah," he whispered. Raising his head, he stared confidently at the golden-eyed man opposite him. "Thank you, Eiri."

Eiri inclined his head. "Anytime."

oOo

The Next Day - Covenant Castle - Great Demon Kingdom

Yuri sat on the low stone wall surrounding the garden in the courtyard of Covenant Castle twirling a Mighty Yuri flower in his fingers. The new flower developed by Lady Celi reminded him of the Black Nasturtium flowers his grandmother used to grow. There were supple differences between the two however. The leaves and flower buds of the Mighty Yuri were not edible like those of the Nasturtium. In fact, if ingested, the Mighty Yuri was poisonous. Though not edible, the Mighty Yuri did have the same soft, sweet scent and attracted the Tori birds that hung around outside the castle walls. Where the petals of the Nasturtium were a deep red and the stamens were yellow, the Mighty Yuri had black petals as well as black stamen. The black was a deep raven's black color. There was no hint of a blue or purple hue. It was pure, unadulterated black and it was beautiful. He wondered if that made him narcissistic.

A squeal of laughter punched through the bright morning.

Yuri lifted his head from the flower to gaze out across the courtyard to where his husband and children were gathered on a large blanket that had been spread out in the shade. He smiled at the sight.

"Did you tell him?" spoke a sudden soft voice from behind him.

oOo

The Night Before

He watched Wolfram from the shadows. The Prince Consort cuddled their son in his arms gently so as not to constrict, but securely enough to be protected from the vile creatures of the night. The moonlight shone in through the window that had been left open to allow a gentle breeze to caress away the oppressive humidity from the day.

Long gone was the blue Lieutenant's uniform. It having been replaced when they were married by a similar uniform in the color that represented the noblest of royalty and his new station. The curly golden locks had forgone their monthly trim for several months now and his hair now hung past his shoulder blades. Yuri for one liked Wolfram's hair as it was. It gave him something to hold onto. He wondered if that was why Wolfram loved his hair as long as it was.

Wolfram walked to the crib and carefully placed a slumbering Rey within. Folding an arm along the railing, he traced his son's cheeks lightly. "It's about time you got back, you damned wimp."

Chuckling, Yuri parted ways with the shadows and stepped out into the light. "How long've you known I was there?"

"Since you arrived," Wolfram snorted.

Yuri shook his head. He should have known. Crossing the room, he came to stand behind his husband. Wrapping an arm possessively around Wolfram's waist, he watched his son as the two month old slept peacefully.

"So?" Wolfram demanded to know.

Sighing, Yuri stepped back.

Curious, Wolfram turned to regard him.

Yuri took hold of Wolfram's hand. Lacing their fingers together, he gently pulled his out of the nursery and to their adjoining chamber.

"Yuri? What-?"

"We have to talk."

Knowing to what his King and husband was referring, Wolfram merely nodded.

oOo

Present

"Yes," Yuri answered.

The Great Sage stepped forward. In his gold trimmed black uniform and glasses that had an annoying habit of not staying in place, Ken Murata did not seem to have aged a day since he returned to the Great Demon Kingdom. Jennifer Shibuya was as determined as ever to discovery the reason why.

"What I could remember anyway," Yuri added.

Ken frowned. "Strange."

"What is?"

"When you and your demon half merged when you became of age, you should have gained all of his memories."

"I did," Yuri said distantly.

Until the age of sixteen, all Demons had essentially two sides. They were not unlike how he himself had been when he first came to the Great Demon Kingdom. There was the outer-self and the inner-self. The outer-self was the everyday façade. It was the you minus the magical abilities each full blooded and some half-blooded demons were born with. Basically, this was the "human" half. Then there was the inner-self, which was where their powers resided. This was their demon side. When a Demon child becomes of age, they had to choose how they were going to live their lives. For a half-breed that child had to choose whether they wanted to live as a Human or a Demon. For a Demon, this was also when their two sides started merging. When that happened, all the memories that both sides held merged as well.

"Hm." Ken pondered that conundrum. If even after Yuri merged with his demon half he still could not remember the events of that day, then what did that mean? Did that mean that it hadn't been his demon half that stepped in after all? This was something he would have to research further. Ken cast his friend a contemplative look out of the corner of his eye. Then again, there was always the possibility that Yuri was not being entirely truthful. What if Yuri did in fact remember what occurred during the time he supposedly "blacked out"? But why would he continue to lie even after promising to divulge everything? Just what was he hiding?

"Wimp!"

His heart jumping out of his chest, Yuri's head snapped around.

"What are you two doing over there?" Wolfram demanded.

Sighing, Yuri rose to his feet. "Just talking, Wolf."

Wolfram narrowed his emerald green eyes.

Besides him, Ken chuckled.

Yuri slid him a glare. "Shut up."

That caused Ken to chuckle harder.

As the two of them started across the courtyard towards where Wolfram and the children were lounging, Yuri suddenly remembered something that he'd wanted to ask the Sage about. "Say, Murata."

"Yes?"

"The other day, I noticed that Rey and Sera…Well, Sera felt as if she had a slight fever and Rey felt a little cold to the touch. Is that…? You don't think there's-?"

"Oh, so you noticed huh?" Ken pushed his glasses further up his nose.

"Huh?"

"Don't worry Shibuya. There's nothing to worry about. It's normal."

"What?" Yuri turned towards his friend. "What do you mean normal?"

"Look, Shibuya," Ken turned towards him. "They're just developing their powers." He shrugged. "That's all."

"Their…powers?"

"Yup and from what I've been able to gather, Prince Rey will have control over water much like your primary element and Princess Sera will control fire like Lord Bielefelt."

Yuri gulped. Seraphina will have power over fire? Dear Great One help them all. That was all they needed, a female Wolfram.

"Wimp!"

Yuri jumped. "Coming!"

Grinning, Ken watched his best friend race across the courtyard. His face fell as he watched the happy family.

…The End

A/N: I know I didn't fully explain what happened to Yuri that rainy day in Boston. That was done on purpose. I gave you guys all the clues you need to formulate your own conclusions about what might (or might not) have happened.