Disclaimer: I do not own Kyou Kara Maou

The weirdest thing about the Bad Omen birds of Shin Makoku is that they are never seen whenever something really bad happens. Maybe they're smart enough to remove themselves from danger when they sense it?

Shibuya Yuuri, the greatest Maou that the kingdom had ever known, gulped nervously as he faced his toughest task yet – buying an engagement ring for his fiancé.

To the young ruler, this quest was not only difficult but also hazardous, since Wolfram would probably roast him alive if he got it wrong. The wrong stone, the wrong shade, the wrong metal, there was so much that could go wrong and once it did….. BOOM! The castle he'd spent ages rebuilding after Soshu nearly destroyed it would be little more than dust and ashes again.

Yuuri dropped his head in his hands. Maybe trying to surprise Wolfram with the perfect ring was a bad idea. He was so totally unfamiliar with the customs of this strange land that he would probably end up embarrassing himself in front of Wolfram. Again.

His gloomy expression brightened a little though when he thought of his faithful subjects, who were currently scouring the town in search of the right stone. Cheri-sama, Wolfram's mother, was in charge of keeping her youngest son away from the castle for the day. Yuuri had suggested simply sending his fiancé away on a trumped up errand and drawing up the castle's drawbridge but his mother insisted that it was an insensitive thing to do. Besides, no one had the guts to face up to an angry Wolfarm, whose disposition would hardly have improved from standing in the sun for hours. Yuuri's feeble suggestion that they could tell him it was an accident had been quickly vetoed.

The door to the king's study burst open and an excited little girl rushed in, her brown curls swinging around her face adorably, as she cried "Papa! I got it!"

Yuuri smiled and pulled his daughter up on his lap, "Did you find another pretty flower, Greta?"

She shook her head, clearly disappointed by her father's lack of mind reading abilities.

"I found it, Papa"

"What?" asked Yuuri, confused.

He received a light smack on his head for his denseness.

"The stone you need for the ring, Papa" she stage-whispered.

Greta bought her hands out from behind her back and held out a beautiful gemstone.

"Isn't that amber?"

She nodded proudly.

"But why did you pick that particular stone for your Papa Wolfram?" questioned Yuuri curiously.

"'Cause it's fiery to look at but at the same time soft and gentle. It's pretty and glows, just like Papa!"

So was amber the right stone for Wolfram?

Just then Cheri-sama entered the room, as glamorous and sexy as usual. Her dress was cut even shorter than last time and her golden curls cascaded down her back.

"Darling, I have got the perfect stone for my little one!"

"Where's Wolfram?"

"Oh, I decided that I just couldn't stay out of such a romantic setting and decided to use your plan instead. My littlest one thinks Dai Shimaron has attacked and he's going to assist his uncle."

"Shouldn't he be here with me in case of an attack?" asked Yuuri, a little hurt.

"Now, now darling, there's no need to get jealous, love. Wolfram thinks that you ordered him to join his uncle!"

"Then it's me he'll murder once he gets back!"

"Of course. But why waste time on such trivial nonsense, my dear? This is the engagement ring you're looking for."

Cheri-sama opened a velvet box to reveal a glittering diamond ring.

"Isn't it lovely? All glittering perfection and hauteur like my darling but also tough enough to take whatever life throws at it. And of course, as ethereal as his beauty!"

Yuuri looked helplessly from Greta to Cheri-sama. They were both right. Each stone represented a different facet of Wolfram's personality.

To add to the confusion Gunter barged in as well, melodramatic as usual, waving the most striking emerald Yuuri had ever seen around.

"Oh, heika! The second I saw it I knew! I knew that I must make one last attempt to save you!"

"Huh?"

"This emerald is said to give its wearer wisdom and patience. If you must marry Little Lord Brat give him this emerald at the very least! That way you'll be alive after your divorce and free to marry me, I mean, others again!"

"Gunter," said Yuuri firmly, "I am not going to get a divorce. I'm a pretty steady guy and I know what I want."

Just as the lilac haired man began flailing his arms again, a ball of fury in the form of Cheri-sama stood in front of him.

"Did you say 'Little Lord Brat'?" she screamed, brandishing her infamous whip.

As Gunter cowered under Cheri-sama's ferocity, Yuuri was lost deep in thought. He still couldn't figure out which stone was better. A polite knock on the door startled him out of his reverie.

"Come in" he called.

Conrart Weller entered, carrying a small brown bag.

"Thank you, heika"

"How many times have I told you to call me Yuuri, nazukeoya?"

Conrart smiled and handed Yuuri the brown bag.

"I have found a stone that I believe is suitable for Wolfram"

With a sinking heart, Yuuri opened the bag. Just what he needed: More Choices = More Confusion.

"Err…what is this?"

"It's called garnet. I bought it from a shop on Earth"

"It's very nice"

"I felt it would suit the occasion exceptionally well. Garnets symbolize love and devotion and also provide increased…..err…"

"What did you say Conrart? I missed out the end."

Conrart turned beet red and said softly "Since you two seem to love children so much I thought…."

"Oh"

At the moment it was difficult to say whose face was redder. Yuuri's resembled a cherry while Conrart looked remarkably similar to an overripe tomato.

The awkward silence between them was broken by the sound of merry whistling in the hallway outside. A muscular orange haired man entered the room. His hands, Yuuri noted with relief, were empty. At least this rocky chaos wouldn't be taken to the next level….

"I gotta cool engagement rock for you, kiddo!"

…..Oh well, the illusion was soothing while it lasted.

With a flourish, Yozak dug his hand into a hidden pocket in his shirt and produced a magnificent fire opal. He held it at an angle so that the stone's surface caught the sun's rays and everyone in the room was momentarily rendered speechless. It looked as though Yozak was holding pure fire in his palm. Even Cheri-sama and Gunter, stopping their fight for a moment let out gasps of pure delight at the spectacle.

Yozak grinned, clearly pleased with the reaction he had evoked in his audience.

"So kiddo? This one's like Sir von Brat's own soul."

"What did you call my son?"

Cheri-sama's wrathful tone set alarm bells ringing in Yozak's head and he threw the fire opal at Conrart, who caught it deftly.

"See ya later, Cap'n!"

He waved cheerfully and jumped out of the window, landing comfortably in the bush beneath.

Muttering under her breath, Cheri-sama turned to Gunter, only to discover that he too had sneaked away, using Yozak's escape as cover for his own. She stomped out the study, utterly infuriated.

"I better go check up on my mother, heika. If you'll excuse me…"

"Sure, sure." said Yuuri absently.

Conrart bowed and left. Yuuri looked around the room and he found himself all alone again. Greta too had left – no doubt in search of her new playmate, Rinji von Wincott. Her relationship with that boy was definitely not something that Yuuri liked. He was…..he was a boy, for heaven's sake! Wasn't she supposed to still be at the stage where she would assume all boys had cooties and avoid them like the plague?

"My successor, I am glad to find you alone. I wish to speak to you."

Yuuri almost jumped out of his chair at the sound of Shinou's voice. The former king was Shin Makoku was precariously perched on his window sill, golden hair blowing in the light wind.

"I too have a gem to suggest"

"You do?" asked Yuuri weakly. More uncertainty… Great!

"This is a moonstone", he said, holding out a stunning milky white stone, "It shall bring you both luck and happiness. However that is not the reason why I thought of this stone. This stone represents mystery as well. It seems appropriate for someone who has been entrusted with so many secrets and suffered for them"

"Err….right. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for your help" said Yuuri uncomfortably. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of being reminded of unpleasant events, but perhaps the stone could serve as a reminder and warning for the future.

Shinou nodded and disappeared with a flash of golden light.

As Shinou vanished, Yuuri's study door burst open for what seemed like the millionth time that day and Doria entered. When she saw him standing near the window she stammered "My apologies Yuuri-heika, I – We, I mean I, wasn't told that you would be here today!"

"That's alright Doria. I was just about to leave anyway."

"Err…heika?"

"Yeah Doria?"

"I too had a ring that I thought would….."

Yuuri stopped himself from groaning aloud with great effort. With even greater will power, he forced out a smile and said "I'd love to see it"

Doria dug her hands into her numerous pockets, dropping several Love Lottery notes in the process. Finally, she pulled out a simple wooden box. Inside it lay a blue stone with flecks of gold in it.

"Lapis lazuli," she announced proudly "It is supposed to be a great stone for communication and we've already fitted a communicator in it so we can now keep up with all the latest gossip….oops. I don't think I was supposed to say that last bit!"

Doria blushed and before Yuuri could so much as open his mouth, she ran away.

"Well, well Shibuya, harassing the maids?"

Murata Ken, the Daikenja of Shin Makoku and Yuuri's former classmate strolled into the room. He placed the box he was carrying on the table. It was an exceedingly pretty box, with intricate silverwork and small gems studded all over it.

"So which one of these gems are we going to remove from the box and put on the ring?" questioned Yuuri.

Murata shot Yuuri a pitying glance. Were all Maous' this hopeless without a Daikenja? Shinou had asked him the same question when he had shown him this box before their engagement although obviously it had contained a different stone then.

"The gem is inside the box Shibuya"

"Oh"

"This," said Murata proudly, "is the sapphire that Shinou gave to the first ever Lord von Bielefield on his coronation day. However the fifth Lord von Bielefeld gave it away to his mistress one drunken night….err…..I meant lost it in a tragic mishap…Shibuya! Are you even listening to me?"

"Sorry Murata," Yuuri yawned, "It's just that when you go into Gunter-mode and start lecturing me on the history of Shin Makoku my eyelids succumb to gravity."

"Gravity is an Earth phenomenon"

"Really?"

"Haven't you seen Kohi, Shibuya? In case you haven't noticed, flying skeletons aren't exactly common on Earth, they're only found in Shin Makoku as the whole concept of gravity and the laws of physics are different here"

"Wow!"

Murata often wondered just how many times Mama-san had dropped her son on his head.

"It is said that if you give a sapphire to your beloved he will never cheat on you"

"Really?"

"Well, in your case I don't think even a sapphire could help, since it is the perfectly gorgeous Sir von Bielefeld we're talking about….."

"What are you talking about? Wolfram would never cheat on me!"

Murata shook his head. "It's only a matter of time Shibuya. Sir von Bielefeld has never exactly lacked offers although now that he's getting married the nature of those offers may change…."

"What?"

"Just look at competition, Shibuya. You're not too bad looking but most of those noblemen out there are real stunners. Well, think about the sapphire, anyway"

Murata walked out of the study, well aware that Sangria had been hiding behind the curtain, listening to every word he'd said, that the maids were now squealing with delight as they drew up a brand new post-marriage Love Lottery and placed bets on who would be Wolfram's …...

"Oh well, time to go place my bet" thought Yozak, slipping out from behind the other curtain.

Meanwhile, a panicky Shibuya Yuuri tried to find The Engagement Ring and gave orders for the fire brigade to stay on high alert the next day.

Shin Makoku Society Journal

The fifth Lord von Bielefeld once said "Marriage is an institution but I'm not ready to be institutionalized yet"

Well, this generation's Sir Wolfram von Bielefeld definitely is!

The Maou of Shin Makoku shocked all present at the palace ball last evening by finally asking his famously 'accidental' fiancé to marry him.

However, he seemed to be most disconcerted by the sudden flood of tears that greeted his announcement. The most prominent among those who were disappointed by the loss of the country's favorite bachelors were Lords Stoffel von Spitzberg and Gunter von Kleist, who disappeared later in the evening to 'comfort each other'.

The engagement ring was a simple one, with a magnificent onyx at the centre. The Maou's speech, explaining the significance of the stone, moved his future mother-in-law so much that she declared that she would plan the wedding ceremony instead of going on her Quest For Free Love as planned. The reaction of the palace's inhabitants to this news leaves little doubt of their love for their former Maou. Even the usually stoic Lord Gwendal von Voltaire burst into tears.

To quote Shibuya Yuuri's speech:

"Wolfram has so many facets, I just couldn't decide on which stone best represented him. Then my mother, Shibuya Miko, told me that marriage was all about giving and I decided to give Wolfram a stone that represented me. So basically I'm promising him that no matter what happens, I'll be right next to him, as a part of him."

The royal couple was unable for further comments as they were hugged by Lady Cheri so tightly that they both fainted.

Why does every story I write these days wind up so much longer than planned?

Anyway, read and review please!

Also, if anyone wants to read the sequel to this story, you can find it on my profile. It's about Yuuri and Wolfram's Wedding Day and it's called 'Shin Makoku Society Journal'.