Well guys, how long has it been since my last update really? five years? I'll be honest, this chapter has been ready and waiting since about a year now, but I didn't want to update the story until I decided to permanently take it out of hiatus. I doubt there are many of the original followers of this fic still waiting for an update, but if you're one of them, you are frigging awesome. Do leave a review so I can tell you how awesome you are personally.

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"I guess we have to... Oh..."

"What is it my Sage?... Oh..."

"Oh!? What is it? is something wrong!? Is Wolfram alright!?"

"Shibuya..."

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Chapter 9: The announcement

About half an hour after taking some medicine Anissina gave him, or at least something that looked like medicine and smelled like wet dog, Wolfram had finally descended from the air, thus allowing a more serious tone of conversation.

The Sage had been pretty cryptic about the subject of how the baby was going to come out of Wolfram, but the inescapable thing was, somehow, it was going to.

"Okay, so, one last time, let me get this straight" Yuuri said amidst his joy for the news and his concern for his husband, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Once the baby is born, heaven knows how, Wolfram will come back to normal as if nothing ever happened?" he asked, not happy with how little information his friend seemed to actually have about something they had already done. But well, he couldn't really bring himself to be angry, considering the results.

"Yes Shibuya, as I said earlier, this herb compound only gives a male the ability to 'produce' and carry a child temporarily, once the baby is born, it might take a couple of weeks for his body to make the adjustment, but he will come back to normal" he said in a matter of fact way, although he had some doubts himself, more about how exactly the process happened than of if it happened or not.

"In any case, this is the most harmless and pure kind of magic that exists in this world, as far as we are concerned" Ken added, thinking about the nature of the Sennyo's magic, and leaving its potential destructive power, conveniently out of the conversation.

"Now, this poses the matter of how are we going to communicate this to the kingdom" Gwendal said, drawing everyone's attention. Yuuri and Wolfram hated him a little bit, for reminding them, once again, that their lives were never completely their own, not that they would protest, but they wanted to stay in the cloud of their family and inner circle for just a little bit longer. Not to mention, this news was wonderful, but really hard to digest, or even believe for that matter.

"In my opinion" Ken said in that Daikenja kind of way that meant he had actually given a lot of thought to it previously. "Well, quite frankly, even though we cannot reveal the existence of the Sennyo tribe to the public, for obvious reasons; telling a story as close to the truth as possible would be the best option, and as soon as possible I may add. Before rumors start spreading" Yuuri thought for a moment about that, the whole castle probably already knew Wolfram had awoken floating in midair, and if he kept showing symptoms like that, he was bound to become the talk of the kingdom if an explanation wasn't officially issued soon, also, it would pretty much solve the current problem with the noble families, but...

"How do we explain... how it happened then?" Yuuri said, looking at his bespectacled friend who was grinning rather annoyingly, probably thinking of the mechanics of how this baby, like all babies, was made.

"Well Shibuya, I think we all know where babies come from…" Yeap, he went there, getting various reactions from the people present. Gwendal in particular. with a chill running down his spine, wished he hadn't passed by the royal chamber that night a few years back, when he found out his baby brother wasn't loud only when angered…

"But for the magic on the matter… blame him" he said shortly, pointing at Shinou who was standing in a corner, and seemed somehow offended by the casual tone Ken had used, and for the same reason probably, it sounded like he enjoyed saying those words.

"That's actually not a bad idea" Wolfram said softly, making everyone in the room realize the blond hadn't really spoken in a while, nor had he made any questions about his own current state, which was odd, to say the least. Yuuri looked at him a bit worriedly. "Think about it" he added getting more excited "If we say this is a favour granted by the Great One himself, and it sort of is anyways, the ten nobles will have no choice but to back down. No one really knows exactly where the Original King's power begins or ends" his eyes were glowing, they hadn't shone like that in so long Yuuri felt like kicking himself for what he was about to say.

"What if they don't believe it?" he asked painfully "What if they think it is all a scam to adopt a secret child nine months from now and call it our own, just to avoid them? I am right here and I still have to say I find it hard to believe this is actually happening"

Everyone in the room had to agree with what their Maou had just said. Logically speaking, it was the more likely scenario. They wondered exactly when the young wide eyed boy had become so well aware of people's ability for malice, that in itself was such a shame, and gave evidence of how much he had gone through, since arriving in Shin Makoku..

Well, actually, everyone in the room agreed with Yuuri, except for one person. Wolfram.

"Then we will show them"

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.-.-.-.-.-.-.o.O.o.-.-.-.-.-.-.

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The next four months had been quite eventful, but thankfully for the castle's drapery, by the 19th week of the pregnancy, Wolfram had lost the ability to use his marioku completely, which normally would have made the blond very anxious, but after months of not being able to control it, not having it came as a relief.

And it was just in cue, since a week from then, they would be receiving representatives from all the corners of the land for the winter ball, in honour of the 15th anniversary of the human and mazoku alliance. And there Wolfram's plan of showing the nobles, would also be set into motion.

It wasn't such an elaborate plan, it just meant a lot of moving around, attending and organizing several events, so that the nobles could see the pregnancy unfold with their own eyes, see to believe, as they say. This would be the first event and the big announcement had to be made. Wolfram had already started to show, a cute little baby bump, that was all the more visible since Wolfram was so slender to begin with.

If Yuuri had to be completely objective, a pregnant belly without the breasts to go along with it, looked really peculiar, but it was hard to remain objective when he was so happy, and found his husband to look just absolutely gorgeous.

"I can feel you gawking at me you know" Wolfram said in a seductive tone, as he removed his nightgown to put on his pants, in front of the dresser, his back to Yuuri, who was still on the bed.

"I can't help it" Yuuri said, and I don't think you mind, he added in his thoughts. At first, with all the emotions and exhaustion that meant dealing with Wolfram's symptoms, which included morning sickness and blazing accidental fires, their sexual life had been practically obliterated. But for the past week it was as if the blond was just exuding some kind of crazy sexy pheromone, Yuuri just could not shake the longing to hump his bones every hour of the damned day.

"Well, why don't you do something about it then?" Wolfram had been feeling it too, he had thought putting on weight would make him feel far from sexy, but he was just as horny as he could tell his husband was.

"Oh Wolf, trust me, I want to" Yuuri said getting up and walking towards him. "But…" and, as if rehearsed, came a knock on the door. They both groaned in annoyance, before telling whoever it was to come in.

"Good morning Yuuri, Wolfram" Conrart said with his usual smile, faking not to notice the sullen and somewhat angry looks he was receiving. "Günter says he needs one of you to take a final look at the decorations for next week's ball, to send out the purchase orders before breakfast" Wolfram somehow knew that meant him, and putting on his shirt, a loose and rather old shirt since nothing else fitted him anymore, he walked out of the room without a word.

"Yuuri, Gwendal also needs you for something…" Conrart paused, he wasn't really sure what had happened, but his brother looked more annoyed than usual that morning. "He´s on you office right now"

"Okay, I'll be right there" Yuuri said with a mental sigh, happy to have the time it would take him to get dressed, to cool down his hormones a bit. He hadn't been this sexualy frustated in years.

As he walked down the halls to go meet his retainer and advisor, he let his mind wander a bit. He was ecstatic for becoming a father, and all the more because this was going to be their child, biologically his and Wolfram's, something he had never even thought possible, it was nothing short of a miracle. But on the other hand, he was freaking out a little. Fatherhood was a serious thing and with Greta he had it easy, she was more or less self sufficient when they adopted her, a baby was a whole other story. Judging by how thing were at the moment, he wondered if he was about to fall into a sexless marriage.

"Good morning Gwendal" Yuuri said, finding the man standing next to his desk and receiving a small bow in the return. "What did you need me for?"

"There seems to be a problem with one of the kids studying under Anissina" he said with a small eye twitch. "Miss d'Angouleme spent the night with a fever and wasn't able to leave her bedroom this morning" Alexandra d'Angouleme, aka the weird name kid, was an energetic little thing, it was really hard to imagine her sick, Yuuri wondered if it may had something to do with some sort of failed experiment, but there seemed to be no indication of that, according to Gwendal.

"As you know, the kids share bedrooms in the right wing, we think it would be best to move her to a different area, to avoid any contagions, to the other kids or to Wolfram, considering his state, although it does not look as anything serious " Wolfram's state was the chosen term for referring to the pregnancy. For some reason, nobody in his family, with the exception of his mother, had really come to terms with the situation yet, it was just so hard to believe that a man could actually be pregnant. For Yuuri though, at this point, it was just yet another amazing new fact to be discovered, his ability to be surprised severely diminished over the years of dragon hunting and magic power actually being a real thing.

"She can use Wolfram's old room, it's far enough and ready to be used, I don't think he'd mind." Wolfram had insisted on keeping that room as it was, sort of a safe haven to run off to when they fought, although with the years the nights they spent apart for that reason had been reduced to almost nonexistent. " Assign a healer to keep watch of the girl just in case" He added, still a bit worried that one of the kids put in their care was so sick she couldn't get up. But well, kids do tend to get sick and recover much faster than adults.

When was it exactly that he became an adult? Reconciling the image he saw in the mirror with how old he felt was a bit tricky. Not to mention he hadn't quite gotten used to the idea of living hundreds of years yet, however fast they seemed to pass. The thing that brought him most comfort was knowing he would get to spend that time with Wolfram. Somewhere along the line he realized one of the many reasons that kept him from accepting the blond's love years ago, before being sure he was in fact aging as a mazoku, was imagining growing old so fast, while Wolfram wouldn't, and leaving him so soon because of that.

"Yo Shibuya, thinking of Wolfram are we?" Ken's voice made Yuuri realize he had gotten lost into thought, as he entered the room and Gwendal left it.

"Hi Murata, what brings you here?" he asked, dodging the question, both young men well aware the Sage had succeeded at reading his friend's mind.

"I came to check on Wolfram actually, it seems he has been feeling better? I haven't seen a cloud of smoke over the castle in more than a week I think" That was true, nothing had burst into fire, or exploded for that matter, in about eight or nine days. Realizing that fact gave Yuuri a bad feeling, that calm before the storm kinda feeling.

"Yes, he's been much better, he stopped floating about two months ago, the last time you visited I think" Yuuri wondered what his friend had been up to in those two months, no doubt having a more lively sexual life than him, a small pang of jealousy made his way up to his throat.

"And it has been a little more than a week since the morning sickness subsided and his fire disappeared" That was really such a relief. Yuuri had come to the conclusion, after a while, that the baby would attack aimlessly with Wolfram's fire every time it felt his father was in danger. Which meant everybody had been walking on eggshells around him. Correction, everyone but Yuuri, the baby apparently recognized his other daddy and had left him burn free. That made Yuuri proud in the strangest way.

"That good to know, I'll go see him then and after dinner how about we have a little chat?" he said smiling and in a Murata Ken way, that made it seem like it wasn't a big deal, but Yuuri knew better than that, something was going on.

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The night of the ball had finally arrived, everybody in the castle was nervous, this night could turn out to be the most joyful occasion, or the beginning of a scandal they would never hear the end of. Gwendal, Conrart and Günter were already in the ballroom, counting the minutes until nine o´clock, when the Maou and the Prince Consort would make their entrance, always the last ones to come in, following tradition.

As always, Günter had a 'little' speech prepared for introducing the royal couple in the moment of their entrance, after which Yuuri would give another speech, regarding the motive of the celebration, cue the music and the royal couple would start the first dance. Yes, it was a normal formal event like so many others, except for one thing, somewhere in between his speech and the dance, Yuuri would give the announcement of his husband's pregnancy.

This was something so unheard of, there was absolutely no way of knowing how the guests would react. Wolfram's tailor had made a new formal attire for him, all ivory with only small details in silver, specially for the occasion, making sure the baby bump was as visible as possible, actually bringing attention to it rather than hiding it, much to Wolfram's discomfort, but it was kind of his idea to let the nobles see it, so he couldn't complain.

Five minutes remaining, Greta and her husband had entered the room, properly introduced of course, and the royal couple was the only one left. Gwendal couldn't remember the last time he had been nervous like this... oh yeah, his wedding day. "I have a bad feeling about this" he said to himself, but his wife's feline hearing, when convenient, was foolproof "You have bad feelings about everything" she said.

The moment had come, Günter was making his introduction, with his usual excitement and its usual length. Behind the double doors Yuuri held his husband's hand tightly and swallowed hard before they shared a final look of mutual support, and took a deep breath while the doors opened before them.

The reaction of those present was immediate, in between the usual applause that followed their entrance, the couple could hear the many whispers shared between them, while their eyes were fixated on the Prince Consort and his new figure. As they reached the throne platform and Wolfram took his seat, the applause died down and Yuuri cleared his throat, to begin his speech.

"My friends, this is a very special night for all of us, as we celebrate the 15th anniversary of our alliance, and with it, fifteen years of peace throughout the land." he paused a bit, to allow the growing reaction of the crowd. "This journey has not been an easy one for any of us, overcoming our differences and prejudice, and embracing our similarities, is what has allowed us to grow together as more than just allies, but also as friends, always willing to give a hand to one another in our moments of need" Another pause for applause, he had gotten really good at this whole speech thing, he had to hand it to himself. "May this be one of many celebrations like this to come, as we advance together into a better world each day!"

And the crowd went wild, as wild as noblemen and rulers of kingdoms would get, of course. But when everyone started move out of the way, expecting the music to start for the opening dance, since the Maou was well known for his heartfelt but rather short speeches, Yuuri looked back at his husband, trying to somehow recharge his confidence, and continued.

"Also, I want to seize this opportunity to make an announcement" that surely picked the crowd's interest, mostly because the noblemen who had sent their children to the castle, expected this to be the announcement of one of them becoming the new heir to the throne. "Me and my husband have been blessed by the grace of the Original King many times, as you all might know" he offered his hand to Wolfram, inviting him to join him. "And five months ago we were blessed by his infinite kindness once more, in a way we never even thought possible" talking about Shinou like that seemed so fake, but if it got the job done, well… "Friends, we would like to announce that the royal family of Shin Makoku is expanding, the Prince Consort, Wolfram von Bielefeld, is carrying my child"

Silence.

So, so much silence.

Painful, excruciating silence.

It was just that shocking. Yes, they had all thought it was rather odd when Wolfram had entered the ballroom, his body, that is, especially since he shown no increase of weight in any other area in his body, he surely did look… pregnant… But was that even remotely possible? They were all one hundred percent sure Wolfram was a male.

"Although we realize this is hard to believe, since we also don't understand how this miracle came to happen, the power of the Great One knows no end" Yuuri continued, it was becoming really hard to keep a straight face while singing Shinou's praises like that "We hope you will give all of your support to this child, blessed by Shinou himself, as the heir, and future Maou of the Great Demon Kingdom"

A small whisper began circling the crowd, people talking amongst themselves in utter disbelief, but also unable to deny what was right in front of their eyes. The Prince Consort was standing beside the Maou, showing an obvious baby bump, and his face showed a state of inner peace never seen on him before. Some of the women present, who were mothers themselves, couldn't deny he had an air around them that they recognized very well. The human guests, on the other hand, were surprisingly less taken aback, since most of them didn't really know to what extent mazoku were different than them, and if this was perhaps possible.

Suddenly, a wave of energy filled the room, like small little sparkles of light. The nobles immediately recognized as Shinou's energy, something they would only feel when ar the Original King's Shrine. So there was no denying it, the Great One himself was making an appearance to further support the Maou's declaration; but that didn't mean they were happy about it, some of them at least.

The whisper was becoming louder, and a few angry voices were starting to stand out amongst the rest, Yuuri tightened his grip on Wolfram's hand, preparing himself for a possible revolt of his people right there, when suddenly, a small childish voice seemed to quiet down all the others.

Maou no na ni tsudoishi wanara

(To the name of the Maou, we raise our voices together)

Maou kakureru sonno tokoro

(The Maou hides there…)

It was Alphonse von Grantz. The boy had made his way between the crowd, and now stood in front of the royal couple, with his right fist over his heart, while holding little Ruth's hand with the other. The girl was one of the most timid of the bunch, and her eyes were set on the ground, but she still joined Alphonse on the next verse.

Nazukeru naraba warera ga kokoro

(If we call on his name in our hearts)

Warera wa chikau Maou sasae

(We vow to defend the Maou)

All the kids that had been staying in the castle, and were sharing with their parents, at the moment of the speech, came from different directions, one by one standing in front of the Maou and the Prince Consort and join in the song that they had sang together so many times before, while playing hidden Maou since coming there.

Maou wo sasae warera ga kokoro

(To defend the Maou, we become his heart)

Warera ga tonari ni, Maou ari

(The Maou is by our side)

Kibou no tonari ni, Maou ari

(Where there's hope, the Maou is there)

Remembering a very similar moment, almost twenty years ago, Waltorana von Bielefeld, who had been quietly observing the scene from the sidelines, trying to process the news, put his fist to his heart, imitating little von Grantz, and exchanged a few glances of relief with the other heads of families, with whom he had sang that time as well, before they joined the chorus.

Hokori no tonari, Maou ari

(Where there's pride, the Maou is there)

Omoi no tonari, Maou ari

(Where there's love, the Maou is there)

All voices in the room then sang together, moved by this simple, yet strong gesture, made by the next generation, not yet blinded by greed or prejudice.

Misao no tonari, Maou ari

(Where there's feith, the Maou is there)

Chikai no tonari, Maou ari

(Where there's steadiness, the Maou is there)

Ah Ah! Warera ga Maou wo sasae!

(Ah Ah! We who defend the Maou!)

An applause followed, and the nive nobles, as well as the couple's family, made their way to their side smiling. The kids were praised by their respective tutors, and, of course, by Wolfram and Yuuri, who were also a bit too emotional regarding the subject of children right now, being that they were about to be parents themselves. The couple honestly felt like crying, hugging the kids, and leaving all the nobles there, to go play hidden Maou with them.

There was a lot to be explained yet, in their eyes, the demand for an explanation was present still, but it wasn't the time for that, first and foremost, they were happy. Contrary to how it may had seemed like, none of the nobles had been happy about forcing Yuuri and Wolfram to confront this subject so soon, in the ceremony of the newborns, but there had been a reason for that. At least, now, they could be at ease.

The music started playing, a slow waltz, and Yuuri excused himself while taking his husband's hand, and leading him to the dancefloor.

There were still a lot of hardship to come their way, they could feel the judging eyes of those who still didn't believe, or just were against this pregnancy, even if they did believe, firmly locked on their backs, as they danced, trying their best to not let it bother them. But the plan had been a success thus far, the first and hardest step had been taken, now they only had to deal with the consequences, including an urgent meeting with the ten nobles the next day. After that, they just had to make sure Wolfram made as much public appearances as possible, without compromising his health, to further prove the veracity of the pregnancy.

"I guess this went better than I imagined it would" Yuuri whispered in his husbands ear.

"That boy absolutely adores you" Wolfram said, remembering the way that Alphonse's eyes sparkled as he sang for his king. The little boy had saved both their skins with his wide eyed loyalty to Yuuri. Wolfram had noticed there was something special about him, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but there was one thing certain, and that was the fact that the boy had come to completely idolize the Maou, since they had come back from their trip to Earth.

"I have no idea of why he should" Yuuri said, honestly, considering the little boy's family history, and also because he was positive that there was nothing worth idolizing about him.

"Wimp" Wolfram chuckled as the song came to its end, leaving Yuuri's side before he had a chance to reply, to go hug their daughter and introduce her to her future brother or sister.

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Chapter 9 Extra: After the ball

Ken was allowing himself to enjoy the relief of the ball and the announcement being over and dealt with. He had had a tough time convincing Yuuri of how to communicate the news of the baby when the time came. Making a speech mainly centered on Shinou's infinite kindness wasn't something Yuuri had been eager to do, for several reasons. First, he just wasn't all that keen on lying like that, second, it seemed way too impersonal and forced, in the young Maou's opinion. However, they had finally agreed that it was the best way to force the nobles into accepting the rather peculiar news.

"It would seem we are clear to step into stage two now" Shinou said, appearing from the shadows. Ken was sitting in the dark, in a small bench by a bed of Cecille's red Sighs. It annoyed him to no end that his lover was cutting his relaxation time, by reminding him there was still work to be done.

"Yeah, I guess you're right" Ken answered without looking at him.

"I have to say, I still do not know how I feel about them changing the lyrics to my anthem" Shinou said, faking a tone of bratty disappointment. But Ken knew better than to be tricked, he knew Shinou was rather pleased with the way his people were slowly letting go of him, it made him feel free in a way, and proud.

"You can't fool me, you know?" Ken said, finally looking at the man beside him.

"Love, I don't think anyone can" he answered.

They were about to move to a different location, to continue their conversation, and maybe something more, when they heard two sets of footsteps in the distance. They looked at each other in the dark, and, as if reading the other's mind, they hid in the shadows.

"The kiddo has certainly grown into his role, hasn't he?" Yozak said happily, he looked flushed and a bit wobbly. He had clearly had one too many drinks at the party.

"He had indeed" Conrart said, maintaining his usual composure, while keeping an eye on the redhair, making sure he didn't fall to the ground, as he tripped over his own feet.

"They sure look like they're happy now. Geika's sacrifice wasn't in vain. I tell you Conrart, if you knew…" Yozak said and bursted into laughter, remembering the squealing green Günters.

"What do you mean?" Conrart asked, his interest peaking at the last sentence.

"Oh, that's a secret" Yozak answered, suddenly sounding serious, but then he resumed his laughing fit. Ken thanked his lucky star that the spy kept his mouth shut, even when obviously plastered. The less people knew about his humiliation, the better.

"Well now captain, don't ya think it's our turn to tie the knot?" Yozak asked, wrapping his arms around Conrart's neck, almost making him lose his balance.

"..."

That was interesting, why hadn't those two even made their relationship public over the years? It wasn't like anybody didn't know, but no one spoke of it either, not even Cheri. Ken exchanged a knowing glance with Shinou, who was thinking something around the same line.

Maybe there was something there worth finding out, once they were done meddling in Yuuri's life, that is.

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[A/N]: You may recognize the song from chapter 100 of the anime. I wanted to use it to make a specific point here. When the nobles sing that song for Yuuri, it symbolizes the moment when they accept him as the Maou, regardless of how little they know about him at the moment, just because of who Yuuri is. That's the moment when they put their faith in him. I wanted to use it here to symbolize how the next generation of mazoku is accepting the next Maou, Yuuri's and Wolfram's son or daughter. This is very important because this story, as you may know if you read my profile, is the second one of a trilogy, meaning that I'm gonna write a third story after this, and the son or daughter of the royal couple will be the protagonist. I don't wanna give out any spoilers, but there's only a couple of chapter left to this story actually, and after it's done, I'll be posting the first chapter of the continuation. All the characters from the original series will still be there, just older.