Author's note: This story takes place a couple of years after the end of season two. Some things from season three will make it into the story but by then it will be AU.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kyo Kara Maoh or any of the characters

Tainted

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Prologue

It was a hot day.

The heat of a summer day is really quite annoying for most people. It just seems to get in the way of everything that needs to be done and causes dehydration and, if you have fair skin, can cause some serious sunburn. Exceptionally hot days become mentally draining as well. Only the constant longing for shade possesses a person's thoughts and all other emotions are put aside.

Perhaps it was a blessing that it was a hot day.

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Wolfram stood stiffly in the blazing sun. He could feel sweat trickling down his back and chest, but he stayed where he was. What was about to happen was far more important than his own physical agony.

Wolfram looked up at the large podium in front of him. A young man stood alone on that platform. He looked to be about the same age as Wolfram. Looked, but actually was much younger. His handsome face was shadowed with some sort of negative emotion, be it anger, regret, or sadness. It was a look that was foreign to his features which were usually set in a smile. But unlike Wolfram, and unlike any other person at this rally, this young man had black hair and black eyes.

His name was Yuri Shibuya and he was the demon king of Shin Makoku.

Yuri raised his hands and silence fell immediately. He spoke in an emotion filled voice. "Servers of Shin Makoku, or rather… heroes. It is disgraceful that I let such misfortune befall this great county. Yet today, you all have shown your undying loyalty to the foolish king that I am. I still believe that peace in this world is obtainable, but not through fighting and suffering. Throughout this new era, I have been working hard to reach that goal through peaceful negotiation. So it tortures me that we must resort to that fighting.

"I am asking you now to go. Go and make this the last war that this country shall ever fight. It is with a heavy heart that I send you all away, but I am DAMN SURE THAT I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN LET THIS COUNTRY FALL INTO THE HANDS OF BIG SHIMARON AND THE HEARTLESS HUMANS THAT GOVERN HER!" The rest of the speech was unheard over the deafening cheers of thousands of soldiers.

The gates opened and the armies of Shin Makoku marched away, determined to fight and die for their beloved king, their county, and their loved ones left at home.

Wolfram sighed as the congregation cleared around him. He knew it probably wouldn't be long before he joined them on the battlefield.

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It was nightfall by the time Wolfram had made it back to the castle. A few of Wolfram's own troops were on guard tonight and they saluted him as he walked past. The heat of the day had long since gone and Wolfram decided that it was a good night for a bath.

The water was quite refreshing as it washed away the accumulated sweat and grime of the day. He put his head the rest of the way into the water. It felt cool and soothing against his sunburned cheeks. He took some soap in the palm of his hands and proceeded to cleanse his entire body. Once he was finished, he put on his bathrobe and left the bathroom.

He was walking past the north courtyard when he heard the laughter of his daughter. Yuri and Greta were in the dark, playing that ridiculous earth sport that Wolfram could never remember the name of. Greta listened as Yuri gave her pointers on how to hold the bat correctly. Wolfram watched as Yuri then backed away a few feet and pitched the ball softly to his daughter.

"Dad, I'm not that little anymore. You can throw it harder," Greta complained. Yuri complied and sent the next ball from his hand at a slightly faster speed. There was a loud CRACK as the bat and ball made contact and a following CRASH as the ball shattered one of the castle's windows. "SHIT!" swore Greta.

"Greta! A princess and a daughter of mine shouldn't talk like that," Yuri scolded.

Greta giggled. "You sound like Papa Wolf. I'm a teenager now. I'm old enough to swear."

"You most certainly are not!" Yuri said firmly, "Now go find out whose window that was and apologize for breaking it." Greta groaned and walked back into the castle. Yuri sighed and sat down in the grass. Wolfram walked up to him.

"You handled that well," Wolfram complemented.

"I've been trying to handle her more like you do," Yuri answered. He tilted his head back so that he was looking at Wolfram from upside down. Even in the moonlight, Wolfram could see that Yuri was exhausted. He had bags under his eyes that had been there for weeks and his black eyes were cloudy and fatigued. They held depression that no king his age should have felt.

Wolfram sat in the grass next to Yuri. "Yuri, you haven't been sleeping, have you?" Wolfram said. Yuri did not answer right away.

"I keep having nightmares" said Yuri. There was silence for a moment. "When I became King, I promised that I would never resort to war. How has this happened? I feel as though I have betrayed everyone."

Wolfram could tell that Yuri was trying to keep his voice calm, but he could still feel the emotion building behind the words. "Don't blame yourself for this, Yuri. This war couldn't have been avoided. None of this is your fault," Wolfram answered quietly.

Yuri sat up. "It doesn't matter if its my fault. The fact is that it's happening and people are going to die. And I had the power to stop it." Yuri's voice was cracking.

"There's no way that-"

"There was a way! There's always a way! I just didn't look hard enough," Yuri snapped. Wolfram held his gaze for a moment then turned his eyes to the ground. He didn't want to get into an argument with Yuri now. Yuri let out a frustrated sob when Wolfram didn't respond. He pulled his legs up to his chest and put his head in between his knees. They sat there in silence for a while in the still courtyard. A few minutes later, Wolfram hesitantly lifted his hands and put them on Yuri's shoulders. Yuri tensed at the contact but relaxed as Wolfram began to message his tired muscles.

"Is that all you dream about, hennachoko?" Asked Wolfram, carefully throwing out the old nickname.

"There are other things, worse things," answered Yuri, but he didn't elaborate. He straitened back into a normal sitting position and stared at Wolfram. Wolfram realized that his bathrobe had come open and that Yuri was staring at his bare chest. Wolfram blushed. Yuri also realized what he was doing and turned his gaze upward. "Wolfram, how long have we known each other?"

"Five years, hennachoko," replied Wolfram.

"That means we have been engaged for five years," said Yuri thoughtfully. "Five years is a long time."

"Not for a full-blooded mazoku."

"But any of us could die, just like that, at any moment. All it takes is someone's sword, or poison, or maybe just falling off a horse. Five years is a long time." He turned to look at Wolfram again. "How come you stopped sleeping in my bed the past couple of months? Have you given up on me?"

"I will never give up on you," Wolfram whispered.

Yuri leaned over and laid his head on Wolfram's shoulder. "Sleep with me tonight. Like you used to," Yuri said against Wolfram's neck. Wolfram shivered when he felt Yuri's hot breath against his skin. It was so different than the cold night air.

"Ok"

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Wolfram slid into bed next to Yuri, enjoying the feeling of the crisp sheets against his skin. He turned on his side and was surprised when he felt Yuri come up behind him and wrap his arms around his waist. He nuzzled Wolfram's neck and Wolfram stiffened. Yuri had never before been so intimate with him. Yuri placed a few sloppy kisses on Wolfram's shoulder and breathed softly in his ear.

"Marry me, Wolfram."

Those words. It had taken him five years to say those words. But if Yuri knew the truth, thought Wolfram, he would not be saying them now.