This is the major Gwendal/Yuuri epic I've been talking about in my lemons. This is how their relationship started and grew into something more. I regret to say that I am no even close to finishing this, but I will update once a week. The first 10 or so chapters are really chapter 1 but chapter one is 64 pages long. But I'm working on it diligently  Now keep in mind that I'm working on other fics too, but this one is of high priority.

Soundtrack for Ch. 1 – Chiisana Inori – Fruits Basket OST

So enjoy.

Souvenir

Since becoming the Maou, Yuuri has had to deal with dimensional travel via water in odd forms: puddles, baths, rivers, and the initial toilet. And over the past three years, Yuuri has become accustom to the unique way of travel. In fact, it has gotten to where he is sent a message that he's going to the other world. Unfortunately for Yuuri, the Original King has a sense of humor and likes to use Yuuri as the punch-line.

Somehow as Gwendal and Yuuri were walking in the courtyard, discussing foreign affairs, the Heavens open up and start to weep. That would have been okay except for Dorcas is barreling towards them at top speed, shouting something about portals and Gwendal, when he slips. Seeing they can't move out of the way in enough time, Gwendal picks up the now taller, older Yuuri to keep him from being injured by the human bowling ball. Gwendal twists his body to where he will take most of the impact, but (un)fortunately, there was none.

"NO WAY!" Yuuri shouts as they swirl around and around in the endless pit of water. Gwendal clings to Yuuri as he doesn't know what's going on.

"Heika, what's happening!"

"WHAT? HOW?" Yuuri looks surprised as he realizes Gwendal is clinging to him for dear life. Next thing they know, they are laying in Yuuri's backyard, underneath the sprinkler system.

"Holy crap!"

"We don't say things like that in front of our mother, Yuuri", says a voice somewhere above Yuuri's head.

"Shori!" Yuuri tries to jump to his feet until he realizes there's a heavy weight over him. Gwendal groans as he slowly pulls himself off of Yuuri.

"Gwendal!" Said man snaps his head up to look at Yuuri with an intense glare that could melt rocks for screaming in his ear.

"Heika, try not to yell too much." Suddenly a car horn sounds and catches Gwendal's attention; reaching for his sword he jumps to his feet, ready for action...almost.

As quick as he was able to get up to his feet, his soaked clothes almost pull him down. Obviously, he wasn't expecting the extra weight.

"Hi Yuu-chan!" Jennifer calls from the porch. "Who's your friend?" Jennifer marches directly into Gwendal's face, glaring at him with conviction. Looking through long, wet bangs, Gwendal eyes widen in shock.

"Hehe, Mom this is Gwendal." Yuuri says standing up as he scratches the back of his neck nervously.

Jennifer narrows her eyes in a scowl at the charcoal-haired man. Suddenly her scowl turns into a bright smile and she throws her arms around the man, catching everyone off guard. "Welcome Gwendal!" Yuuri and his brother are probably just as surprised at the sudden welcoming gesture. Gwendal is frozen in his spot, much like when Anissina finds him.

"MOM! You can't just hug people randomly. You don't even know him!" Yuuri stomps foot on the ground, a little out of anger but mostly out of embarrassment. Jennifer pulls away from the tall man with a sparkle in her eye. Only then did Gwendal almost scream.

Jennifer had hugged the wet man with a white shirt on and all three men could see she is wearing a blue bra. Shori grabs her shoulders and whips her around so she isn't facing any of them. Gwendal turns on his heel to hide his blush from the family, only to face an equally flush Yuuri. "I'm so embarrassed. I am SO sorry. My mom can be absent-minded sometimes and clearly this is one of those times."

At that moment, Jennifer screams. Gwendal and Yuuri snap their attention to the now hysterical woman only to be snapped back at. "DON'T LOOK!"

"SORRY!" Yuuri turns Gwendal and himself around quickly. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Yuuri looks at Gwendal with a pleading face that screams 'Help me'. Gwendal looks helplessly at the young Maou. Yuuri looks over his shoulder to see if his brother and mother were still there; finding them alone in the backyard, Yuuri finally relaxes.

"Oi, what a troublesome family." He plops down onto the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest. "I mean, couldn't have someone told me earlier that you were going to be pulled in with me and that I would be going into the portal at the tiniest drop of water. And really, I get dropped off in my backyard at that. Ulrike could have at least put me down on something softer or something." With a slight huff, Yuuri stands up. Looking down at his sopping wet clothes, he cringes to himself. Then, he looks Gwendal up and down, seeing that he too is also in the same shape as the Maou.

Gwendal stands silently with his normal scowl on his face. Folding his arms across his chest he levels an intense glare at Yuuri. "What do we do now Heika?"

"Um...I think we need to get into dry clothes before we catch a cold. You can use the shower first while I find some of my dad's clothes for you to where. Also call me Yuuri; I'm not a king in my world."

Kicking off his shoes at the door, Yuuri motions Gwendal to follow, the latter following suit by kicking his boots off at the door. Yuuri guides Gwendal through the kitchen, in which the refrigerator received a strange look from the older man. From the kitchen is the dining room; Gwendal simply regards it as tiny. The living room on the other hand disturbs Gwendal bad enough that his scowl breaks into a worried frown.

"What's wrong?"

Gwendal points at the TV on the wall. "What's that?" he says in an ominous, deep tone.

"The TV? It's a device we use to watch moving pictures as entertainment. Once we're all dried off and clean, I'll show it to you. Ok?"

Gwendal nods with a renewed scowl on his face. Unexpectedly, the doorbell rings. Gwendal grabs the hilt of his sword, ready to be attacked at any moment.

"Calm down, Gwendal. It's just the doorbell. Someone's here." Yuuri rolls his eyes at the skittish man as he approaches the door, which, not surprising, he earns an irritated eyebrow twitch. The taller man releases his hand from the hilt.

Yuuri opens the door to find Murata standing there waving at them. "Murata! How's it going?"

"Everything's fine. Did Gwendal make it safely with you?" Yuuri's mouth drops in surprise.

"You knew he was coming with me? And where was the warning that I was coming back?"

"Dorcas was told to tell you three days ago, but I guess he forgot."

"Actually Heika, um Yuuri, he was running up to us yelling something about me and portals, which I'm going to assume is the message he was told to give. Unfortunately, we had already started leaving and I couldn't understand what he was saying." Gwendal says tugging at the belt of his jacket.

Yuuri stares at Gwendal, narrowing his eyes for a moment. "So that's why he looked like a bat out of hell running at us." Shrugging, he continues. "In any case, we got the message since we're both here."

"Do you know why Gwendal was called here?" Murata pushes his glasses up on his nose.

"No."

"Hmmm. That's odd. I don't know why he's here either. But I'm sure if you try different things, the next time you get flushed, you'll know you did something right."

"Do you have any tips as to what I can do?"

Gwendal shifts his weight impatiently as the two younger men discuss the things Yuuri could do while he's on earth with Gwendal.

"You should show him around the city, or show him how the political system works or something that could enhance the result of his duties. I don't know, just try something."

"Ok. Well...I guess I'll talk to you later. We've got to get cleaned up because, as you can see, we are still wet from the journey."

"Right. You may not be able to get a hold of me for a while, I'm going back to talk to the Original King about some stuff. But when you're ready to come back, I'll be waiting. See you later. Bye Gwendal!" Murata waves as he walks away from the house. Yuuri closes the door and turns and faces Gwendal.

"Let's go." Walking up the stairs and down the hall, they reach Yuuri's room. Gwendal looks around at the average size bedroom.

"Ahh, it's good to be home. Now I get to sleep in my bed again." Yuuri sighs.

"It's small."

"Well, this isn't a castle. Let me show you to the bathroom."

Yuuri leads the taller man from his room to the bathroom. "This is the bathroom. The toilet is through that door and the shower is right here. We don't have a tub in this bathroom. The towels are under the sink. Just put your wet clothes in the basket and I'll put some dry ones on the counter. Got it?"

"Yes, Yuuri."

"Good. I'll let you get started and I'll be right back." Yuuri slips out the door and leaves Gwendal to his own.

He first starts by removing his belt and jacket then his undershirt, pants, and trouser socks. He looks at the small bathroom through the reflection of the mirror. With a shake of his head of disbelief, he pulls off his very skimpy g-string. He looks at the contents of the counter. Never before has he seen a toothbrush, toothpaste, or an electric razor. Nor has he seen so many vials of products called shampoo or conditioner. Picking up one vial, he inspects it trying to find the cork so he can open it. Upon finding no cork, he begins to push randomly on the top of the vial, perhaps it is magic. Suddenly there is a soft knock on the door, startling him so much he drops the bottle.

"Gwendal, are you alright in there? I'm coming in." With a panic, Gwendal tries to remember where the towels are, but can't seem to remember. As he hears to door open, he jumps into the toilet room.

"Where did you go?" Yuuri says peeking around the door to make sure his companion is decent.

"Yuuri."

"You're in the toilet?"

"I can't remember where the towels are." Gwendal deadpans.

"They're underneath the sink." Yuuri tilts his head to the left in wonderment. "Are you naked?"

Silence.

"Yes, could you hand me a towel, please?" The charcoal-haired man finally says, sounding a bit frustrated.

"Sure." Chuckling to himself, Yuuri reaches underneath the sink and pulls out a towel; opening the door slightly, Gwendal holds out his hand to get the towel. Yuuri hands him the towel and the hand disappears. A few moments later, Gwendal walks out of the toilet room with the towel wrapped around his waist, rather low in his hips.

Yuuri, who is leaning against the door, looks up to find a half-naked Gwendal looking at him. Yuuri's eyes roam across the tan, muscular chest, over the rippling abs, and going past the navel to see the V of every woman's dream. Gwendal clears his throat as he grows uncomfortable with the intense staring the young king is doing.

Snapping out of his daze, Yuuri flushes and stammers a weak apology until Gwendal holds up his hand to silence him.

"So do you know how to turn on the shower?" Yuuri says with a distraught look on his face. The embarrassments of the day are beginning to pile onto him.

Gwendal silently shakes his head no. From downstairs, the two men can hear Jennifer yelling, "Lunch will be ready in twenty minutes!"

"That's not much time to get both of us showered and dried. Let me get your shower going and then I'll run downstairs and take mine."

"Pardon me, but do you have anything I can wash my hair with?"

"Um, let's see. There was a bottle sitting right...there it is. I guess it fell on the floor." Yuuri picks up the bottle Gwendal had dropped.

"That's..."

"Shampoo. It'll make your hair soft and silky", Yuuri imitates a shampoo commercial.

"Oh." Gwendal grabs the bottle out of the black-haired man's hands. "How do you open it?"

"You press this button and the other side will lift and you squeeze, like so, to get the shampoo out", the Maou demonstrates to Gwendal.

Gwendal suddenly turns rigid when he feels the Maou's hands covering his while the demonstration proceeds. His hands are soft with light calluses on the palms. The skin is warm to the touch, but they make the tall man shiver.

"Aw, Gwendal, are you cold?" Yuuri looks up at Gwendal to find the man slightly flush. "I mean, you're quite naked right now. You should go ahead and get into the shower to warm up. Plus lunch is soon." Yuuri walks to the shower and turns it on, adjusting the temperature to something quite warm. Gwendal watches from behind him, watching how he turns the knob.

"If the temperature is too hot, just turn the knob to the right until it isn't." Yuuri gives him a bright smile and exits the bathroom.

Gwendal sticks a hand under the spray of water, testing its temperature. Deeming it suitable, he pulls off his towel, placing it on the counter and steps into the shower. As he washes himself, he begins to think about why he would be here in this different world, Yuuri's world. Why not Conrad or Gunter? Well, Gunter probably wouldn't last a day without having a panic attack worrying about Heika. But Conrad and Yuuri are pretty close. Maybe there is something he's supposed to get out of this trip.

Gwendal releases his hair from the ever-present tie and lets it cascade down his back. Picking up the shampoo, he squeezes some into his hand, eyeing the bottle. "How random..." He proceeds to wash his hair and rinse it. By the time he's done with his shower, Yuuri bangs on the door, once again startling the man.

"Gwendal are you done? Lunch is just about ready." Yuuri shouts through the door.

"Patience, Heika." Gwendal hisses back in annoyance. He never used to be this skittish, but he also wasn't in another world.

"Alright, just come downstairs when you're done."

The long-haired man hears the footsteps growing farther from the door. Turning the knob to the shower, he manages to turn it off without any issues. He towel-dries himself and wraps his long hair in another.

Picking up the first item of clothing, he finds it to be a pair of boxers. Seeing as the underwear in this world isn't much different from those of his world, he relaxes and slips them on. 'Hmmm...Comfortable. This is much better than the g-string.' Next he picks up a pair of pants; they're rough in texture, but strangely comfortable feeling. After he pulls on the denim jeans he slips on the light green and white button-up shirt and looks at himself in the mirror. It feels uncharacteristic to him to not have the trademark green jacket on. Upon closer inspection of his new look, he realizes these pants have belt loops, so he laces his belt into the jeans. Satisfied with how he looks, he leaves the bathroom and joins Yuuri downstairs.

Gwendal is taken aback by the way Yuuri is dressed. In the three years he has known him, he has never seen Yuuri in more than his black school uniform or his blue pajamas. Today, he looks relaxed and even more carefree in knee-length green camouflage cargo shorts, a black long-sleeve tee, and black skateboarding shoes.

As soon as Yuuri sees that Gwendal in the outfit he picked out for him, his eyes light up. "You look good, Gwendal. I hope nothing was too tight; my dad and brother aren't as muscular as you. But that's because they're lazy. My dad plays golf and works and Shori just parties and goes to class..."

"YUURI! That's not true. I also study in my room." Shori shouts from the dining room. Yuuri laughs and motions for Gwendal to sit in the chair he's standing behind.

"Everything fits well, Yuuri."

"Oi, we'll have to get your hair dried after we eat, ok?"

Gwendal cocks his head slightly, looking at the Maou awkwardly.

"What?"

"I can't understand your family."

"Oh I forgot. I'm sorry. I'm not sure how to fix it though. Maybe I can pull the same trick that Adelbert did to me when I first came into your world." Yuuri walks up behind the chair Gwendal is now moving to sit in. "This may hurt." Yuuri closes his hands on each side of Gwendal's head and begins concentrating. After a few moments, he releases his head.

"Shiori, come ask Gwendal a question."

"Hang on, hang on. I'm coming, brat."

"I'm not at brat. Man, I feel like I'm at the castle being called wimp by Wolfram." Gwendal actually smirks at Yuuri.

The Maou leaves Gwendal's side as he finishes setting the table for lunch. Shori walks into the dining room holding a plateful of sandwiches followed by Jennifer who's carrying a couple of bowls of soup; Gwendal stands up politely as she enters the room. Yuuri disappears into the kitchen and comes back in with a pitcher of Kool-Aid.

"Did you ask him something yet?"

"Why? If I have a question to ask, I'll ask it. But clearly I have nothing to ask so I won't ask anything."

"Did you understand him Gwendal?" Yuuri whispers at Gwendal.

"Yes, thank you."

"Yay! It worked."

"What worked cute Yuu-chan?" Jennifer sits down in her seat, likewise Shori beside her and Yuuri beside Gwendal.

"Nothing, mom." Jennifer raises a skeptical eyebrow at Yuuri.

"Humph. Is that everything for lunch?"

"Yes."

"Alright, Itadakimasu!"

All voices chime except Gwendal's, "Itadakimasu!" Everyone begins putting sandwiches on their plates. Gwendal watches as everyone gets their food and begins eating.

"What's wrong Gwendal? Get some food."

"What is it we're eating?" Gwendal points at the sandwiches.

"Oh, this is a tuna sandwich and this", Yuuri points at the soup, "is egg-drop soup."

"Tuna?"

"It's a fish. It can be prepared several different ways, this sandwich being one of the ways."

"Oh." Gwendal picks up a sandwich and takes a bite out of it. Yuuri watches for a reaction. Feeling he's being stared at, Gwendal looks over to the young Maou, glaring daggers at him.

Not deterred by the glare, Yuuri continues to stare until the taller man finishes chewing. "So do you like it?"

Sighing in guilty resign, Gwendal speaks. "Its fine, Hei...Yuuri."

"Good. I know this isn't what you're used to eating." Yuuri looks disappointedly down at his plates.

Gwendal feeling a slight tug in his heart for hurting the Maou's feelings he lays a hand on his shoulder. "This is good, a little spicier than what I would normally eat."

"Spicier?" Yuuri takes a bite of his own sandwich and chews a couple of times. Suddenly he starts panting and waving his mouth; reaching for his class of Kool-Aid, he downs the drink in two gulps.