A/N: This will be the prequel AND sequel to The Price (which was written a LONG time ago, but you'll get some context if you read that first), expanding on the world of the AU Conrad and Yuuri introduced in that fic - a world that was influenced by the novels and built around this premise: "What if Conrad never came back from Dai Shimaron?" But of course, where that was a short one-shot mostly about their relationship, this will have a lot more plot and politics.

I started writing this also a LONG time ago, and have been slowly picking at it every once in a while (so please excuse the obvious difference in quality between certain parts). There's currently ~30k of usable material, mostly in the beginning and end, and a lot of notes. I originally wanted to finish it before posting, but that's... not gonna happen. I figure I'll start posting and that'll kick my ass into gear about filling in the missing middle pieces.

Prologue

Yuuri reaches his own room, falls into a fitful sleep, and dreams of laughter, baseball, and bad puns.

It was still night as he woke up shuddering and gasping, clutching at the fabric of his nightshirt so as to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest. The events and the emotions that he had felt had seemed as if they could actually happen - in fact, had actually happened in a world where things played out differently.

That dream had seemed so real. In it, he had been sixteen again, only Conrad was there, too. In that world, Conrad had come back to Shin Makoku, and while he had still been dancing around the engagement with Wolfram, things were generally going well. Sure, Dai Shimaron was considered an enemy nation with which they had an unstable truce, but their daily lives at the castle were so much brighter. That other Yuuri was so much more innocent and carefree than he was, though no less stubborn or idealistic, and Yuuri, this Yuuri, couldn't help feeling envious.

It was probably stupid that he was jealous of himself, but for a moment of weakness, he had thought he would trade away peace for personal happiness. It was wrong of him to think so, of course. How could he trade the lives of so many innocents just to keep an old friend by his side? It was selfish of him to think things would be better that way.

Yuuri pushed back his blankets and wrapped a light cloak around himself before striding out the door and into the darkened corridors. He waved the guards back to their posts and walked the winding path to the guest chambers with solid purpose in each step.

The door to the largest room in this wing was shut, but there was still faint yellow candlelight gleaming from the cracks. Yuuri's hand paused at the doorknob, then quietly turned it.

Weller, sitting at the bedside desk with a sheaf of papers before him, noticed the entrance immediately.

"What brings you here, Yuu- Your Majesty?"

Yuuri made his way over the plush rugs and settled on the edge of the bed next to Conrad. "Hmm. You're doing paperwork? At this time of night? With no one like Gwendal hovering over you until you get it all done?"

He got an amused eye-squint out of that, so Yuuri's grin widened.

"Ah, it's not quite like that. It's true that my assistants have deemed these documents to be part of the pile that 'must be completed in a timely manner', but I had originally intended to look them over on the way back." Conrad paused, and there was that amusement again. "Sleep just did not seem to be coming tonight. Perhaps it's, as they say on Earth, jet-lag? We've been traveling non-stop on the new, much faster houseki-powered steamboats, after all."

"Ha! No way! His Majesty Conrart Weller does not get jet-lag! Just admit it - you're worrying about crap and you can't sleep. Eh... You do realize I'm going to have to tease you mercilessly about the whole Lion King business, right?"

"Yes, of course. I was waiting for you to say that."

Conrad smiled at him, and it was a real smile because they had been bantering just like they used to. Suddenly, Yuuri's mouth felt too dry. The temptation to pick things up where they had left off- no, to be so much more than what they had before... Just drinking in the sight of the smile he had missed so much was not enough to quench his thirst. He needed to... He needed to...

Biting his lower lip, Yuuri haltingly placed his hands on the other man's shoulders and leaned forward to give him a kiss. It was light and fleeting, but when he tried to pull back, Conrad gripped his hand.

"Yuuri? I thought you..."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to turn my back on you! You heard what I said, and it was true! And I meant it in every way! I just..." His voice trailed off after the outburst. "I just couldn't stand to see you walking away from me again. Okay, and maybe I kind of did that for revenge, too, but mostly it was because I just... couldn't stand it anymore. Did I hear wrong in the garden? Don't you feel anything for me anymore?"

Conrad's shoulders relaxed at the confession, but he turned his eyes away. Yuuri's hand, still in his grasp, was sweating profusely. He couldn't see what kind of expression Conrad was wearing. Although some part of him knew that Conrad would always feel something for him, he hated it when Conrad would get so distant and unreadable.

At last, Conrad drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out.

Then he said, "You know I do, but we can't."

Yuuri lowered his head and nodded minutely in defeat. It wasn't as if he had honestly expected a different answer. It was always so easy to be around Conrad, and yet so difficult to stay with him. With a strange twisting in his gut, he managed to lift his lips in a sad smile. The way things are now, is that they are both Kings. As a King is his country, loving a King means loving his people, too. All that they do now is for the good of the people. That is what they have to work with; that is what they have to focus on now.

"You're leaving tomorrow," he said, giving Conrad's hand a squeeze. "One more for the road?"

He was leaning in again, brushing their chapped lips together. The meeting was sweet. Innocent. It was their second kiss, and he thought it might be their last. And yet, the feeling being conveyed was that of a naive boy's first love.

It was a promise of remembrance.

When Yuuri broke apart this time, Conrad's hand was slack against his, and he was able to mumble a parting before quietly padding his way out the door. But he paused in the doorway as he came to the realization that he would never be able to let go gracefully.

"Conrad," Yuuri said, "no matter how many times we part, I'll never let you go for good. I'll never give up as long as you still have feelings for me."

Conrad stared at his own mismatched hands long after the door clicked shut and the candle burned down to nothing. Tomorrow would be their official parting, but this night was what he would remember, and that kiss was what would fuel him for what he needed to do. It would carry him on his selfish quest.

Conrad whispered into the shadows, "I promise you this, Yuuri: I will find a way to return to your side."