Welcome to my own KKM-fic. My story begins after the last season, so after the mess with Sara and the boxes and so on. The story will probably a little longer than most of this series. That said please enjoy this story to your fullest! And don't forget: Reviews only take a minute and make authors very happy!

Warnings: This is a Yaoi story of pure fiction. It has mature content. This means that some of the scenes are graphic and part of the plot might not be suited to some people. You will find here Mpreg, as well as unBetaed text passages. This is a Wolfram/Yuuri pairing, as in male/male, or yaoi pairing or whatever you wish to call it. If you do not like this genre than please return to the story outlines. And no flames if there is no reason. Critics on the other hand are more than welcome!

Disclaimer: I make no money with this story and I do not own Kyou Kara Maou or any of the original characters. I take only credit for the new individuals as well as the plot.

Chapter 1: For the better

It was a hot summer day. Well, he should have expected it. It was July and his 16th birthday was just around the corner. Already it was time for him to choose his future. Yuuri exhaled barely audible. Nervousness was slowly starting to rise in his body. His gaze left the documents his hand hovered over. His pitch-black eyes restlessly took in his study before wandering back to the documents. The papers seemed to mock him, no matter how many times he tried to read it, its context still eluded him. With a small groan the young king stood up and stretched to get rid of all the kinks in his body. Leisurely he went to search for his time-table which was probably hidden somewhere within the piles of papers next to him. The Soukukou searched and once his hands closed around the thick portfolio he left the study, he had already occupied for ours. The moment he was in the hallway his feet gained a mind of their own and headed to the garden.

He bypassed various guards, chefs and maids, but no Wolfram and no Greta. Both were out of the castle and without either of them around things tended to be a little to calm. The double-black started to feel lonely. Such an emotion was strange for someone who lived in a castle where privacy was a luxury which should be savoured; but right now he would prefer to have them back.

Greta went (together with some guards) to the little princess Beatrice he had met on the ship hijacked by pirates. The brown haired girl insisted that she was old enough to travel without being supervised, but at least the troubled fathers were able to coax the girl to take guards along. Yuuri was still amazed at how swift his little girl had started to mature. She had started to grow and it would not be before long that his 'little girl' would turn to a fine lady. He already dreaded 'The Talk', he would surely have to give her quite soon. Inwardly he recoiled at this idea but from the outside he just looked exhausted and tired, but happy nonetheless. His thoughts drifted from his daughter to his fiancé, who was currently tormenting his troops in some military exercise for fire-fighting measures. The blonde definitely was having a blast, of that the maou had no doubt.

The hallway brightened and with small steps he advanced into the green paradise that was the castle garden. The torrid sun hardly had any effect around this place, so it had become a retreat for many who worked and resided in the castle. The air was heavy with the scents of hundreds of flowers in full bloom and the lush green of the trees invited those that came by to rest under their treetop. The double-black only hesitated for a short moment before plopping himself down onto the soft grass with his back resting against a trunk. He placed the folder into his lap and started to flap through the pages.

Tomorrow he would be sixteen and the laws of Shin Makoku stated that at that age children stepped in front of a council to announce their course of future. Normally it wasn't such a great deal, as it was only an old ritual to show that the children were one step closer to adulthood and maturity. Nothing more than an old custom making the children start to think for themselves and to make decisions. Normally, but his case was expectedly not normal.

His case was a little different. Mozoku-children had with sixteen years the mind and appearance of seven-year-olds. Whereas he as a mixed-blood aged like an average human up to his sixteenth birthday. For half-bloods this day was indeed a day of fate. On this day mixed-bloods decided whether they wanted to live with humans or demons. Just one more night and he would announce in which culture he would live from now on. The half-blood already knew which path he wanted to follow, but still … somehow he could hardly wait till everything was over and done with.

Yuuris eyes followed some shiny bugs on the ground. The young king's mind was blank and the 'reading' lay forgotten in his hands. He had worked hard for the past months. Very hard. He had considerably paid attention to the customs and magic lessons. He wanted to be a great king for his subjects and especially for his friends, his family. The Soukokou had long since realized where he belonged, but he was a little scared to take this last step. Now if only-

"Your majesty! Why are you sitting so far offside?" Conrart asked surprised as he strode over to the young monarch. "Soldier, you do remember my name, don't you?" Yuuri asked with mock anger. The gentle man chuckled then sat down next to his god-son.

"Yuuri, what happened? I thought you would barricade yourself in your study just like the last days. Seeing you like this surprises me. But it is a nice surprise for sure." the man said smiling. Yuuri returned the smile to his godfather "Actually it was my intention to do just that, but I am too nervous to sit still for a long time. So here I am, trying desperately to gather my wits. Say … Conrad, you as a half-Mazoku yourself are probably able to tell me more about how the 'Ceremony of Maturity' takes place. … Is it really true that I have to drink poison?!" the nervous king blurted out. His eyes darted to the older male, while his hands fisted in his lap. Conrad's eyes widened at these words and he scanned the tense and rigid form of the dark-haired male when he spoke softly "Your majesty, the ceremony is uncomfortable, yes. But it is not dangerous. And to come back to your question. Yes, you will drink a unique poison - if you choose to stay with the demon tribe that is. The poison does not endanger your life; it will affect your demon blood and strengthen it until it is comparable to the blood of a normal Mazoku. The only difference noticeable is that you will age like a normal demon." The soldier reached over and squeezed the young king's shoulder. "Being nervous is normal, back then I felt like fainting. Thinking back it was scary, no terrifying, but now I can grow old together with my family and for that I am grateful." Conrad whispered to his king. Then he petted the younger's upper arm and rose to give his king some time to brood over his words.

The Soukukou had listened intently to the other's words. He had read all books and scrolls available, which even mentioned the 'Ceremony of Maturity' in some corner, but he still thought he missed something important. He knew that Conrad was originally younger than Wolfram, but had aged like a human until the ceremony. The poison called 'Second life' not only strengthened the demonic blood (and made it undermine part of the human blood for that matter), it had various side effects. One of these effects was that a half-blood who had magical talent got more control of it and this was something the young king looked forward to.

His body relaxed against the bark and he flipped once more through the pages of his curriculum. Now that Gwendal focused on his original work, the double-black had started to write his schedule down to not miss anything important. He had finished various projects of his that needed immediate attention. The school system was newly adapted, with some new subjects and new time settings for the older ones. Then he had recently finished some disputes between local citizens and even two nobles. As expected the 'commoners' tended to behave a little better than 'their betters' when it came down to conflicts within family. And last but not least he had made certain that Anissina did not kill his advisors in one of her crazy experiments.

The Soukukou had searched in his world for various methods to gain energy and had decided to take wind and water energy to this world. Both power sources were clean and plentiful in these lands. Luckily the researcher had latched onto his proposition and he was convinced he had seen both Günther and Gwendal with tears in their eyes. Both men had shown in their own way their gratitude: Gwendal had knitted a really cute white lion for him – or maybe it was a white tortoise; while Günther had tried to squeeze the life out of his king.

Granted, it was still dreams of the future and it would take some time to construct these mils, but in the future, they would be great additions. Besides, as long as Anissina was busy with the construction-books, manuals and his notes of windmills and water wheels, as well as various architects he would not have to worry about his castle being blown up.

There was only one more matter to attend. It was about time to knit the loose ends of his and Wolframs engagement together. Yuuri put his schedule back down into his lap. Closing it definitive for the day. He could feel his heart skip a beat and his stomach twist in guilt. His fingers dropped from his lap and gripped onto the grass like he needed its support as his thoughts went downhill. Even now, he could not forget the tears the proud blond had shed because of him. He could not forget the face Wolfram had made when he had stepped into his world. It hurts. It hurts so bad to think that he was the reason for the other male's sadness. He was a king, a monarch who had vowed to care for and protect those under his rule and yet his best friend had suffered. He had cried because of him. This day may have been the harshest he had dumped onto his friend, but it was not the first time his actions had caused him grief. His constant rejections and his open denial of their engagement must have hurt him deeply. There was also another topic he needed to take into account.

Rumours were floating in the city. Rumours about him and his best friend. People started to wonder and even bet whether the engagement would be broken, as there were little to no incantations for it to even exist in the first place. Up till now the gossip was kept at bay as he was still underage, but with his birthday approaching things looked completely differently. Soon he would be in the right age to take a mate and man and woman alike would try to court him.

He would go through with his plan. Not only could he secure Wolfram's happiness, but he would also be able to evade a social event with him as a prize. Yes, it was right and it was long overdue. This night he will ask the fire-user, no matter how difficult it would turn out to be. Or how discomforting or embarrassing things would turn out for him.

- Evening at the castle -

After the young king had made up his mind the day seemed to just fly by. One moment he was sitting under a tree to relax, the next he was in his bathroom to get ready for the night. Supper went by so fast that he refused to believe he had actually attended it. Not to mention he felt kind of sick. Whether it was from nervousness or from food-poisoning the double-black was not certain, but he trusted his chef, so only the first option remained open. But still … what the hell had he eaten? Or better 'when'? Yuuri sighed once more that day. The coal eyes wandered down to his shaking hands. In fact his entire body was shaking terribly. For a short moment the maou wondered if he had already been trembling the entire day. He hoped intently this was not the case. Wolfram had just returned and was already lying in their bed, reading some book before calling it a night. Up to now he had no opportunity to talk with the fiery blond in private, but now he would do it. He had to; his friend's happiness depended on it. With new determination the king dried his body of and put on his light-blue pyjamas.

He left the bathroom and eyed his distracted fiancé. Up to now the Mazoku was calm and composed. Not exactly normal for the temperamental boy, but the double-black would just chalk it up as a nice outcome from today's training session. The younger clenched his hands and dug his nails in his palm as he made it over to the bed. Each step seemed to fuel his heartbeat and his trembling increased just as swift. Luckily Wolfram's attention was still focused entirely on the book in his hands so at least the young king had a few moments to gather his courage before taking action. The almost sixteen-year old took a deep breath and climbed onto the bed towards his oblivious betrothed.

The moment Wolfram felt the bed dip he turned his green eyes to the other and ranted with a tired voice "About time you made it out of the bathroom. I already considered asking the maids and guards to drag you out."

The king stilled at this and then smiled sheepishly at the blond when he answered the unspoken question "I needed to gather myself. Believe me, it is far more difficult than one would believe." With these words the dark haired boy made his way to the curious blond. Wolfram lifted an elegant eyebrow at him and put his book to the side, as he propped himself up on his elbows. The dull eyes cleared and the fire returned to the tired orbs of green.

"Alright, wimp. What is going on? I did not ask before but now I do. Why are you shaking so bad and for what in Shinou's name do you need to get your courage together? Did something happen?" the blond demanded to know. His hands came up and grabbed the other on his shoulders keeping him in place, while his eyes searched his face. Yuuri smiled at the worried expression of the other. This was something that he had come to like and to count on: Wolfram's protectiveness.

With the familiar sight in front of him he plopped himself down on his legs, right in front of the wary blond. He could and he would do it. The Soukokou said nervously "Nothing happened. At least as of yet." And with these words he raised his shaking left hand. With a quick movement he slapped Wolfram lightly on his left cheek.

The blonds head snapped to the side and for a moment there was utter silence, then Wolfram's face turned back to Yuuri. His eyes were huge when he stammered "Yuuri! You; you do know what you have just done, do you?!" Over the blonds face rushed myriads of feelings, but the double-black could make out some of them. The fire-Mazoku looked shocked, happy as well as confused. Yuuri was perplexed at the emotional display, for he did not know that it was even physical possible to show so many emotions all at once. He shook his head, shooing these unwanted thoughts out of the window. The younger leaned forward and his hands glowed in a gentle blue light when he placed it on the other's abused cheek. The words left him before he even realized he had spoken them "Sorry Wolf. I did not hurt you, did I?" Wolfram was obviously flabbergasted. He leaned out of the cooling touch of the healing magic and grabbed the healer's hand when he pulled him to him. He wrapped his arms tightly around the other and growled softly "I asked you, you damn wimp, if you know this time what this gesture meant?! Yuuri, please answer me!"

The dark-haired male looked at the hand holding his and his gaze followed the arm over the attached body until it landed on the other's face. Yuuri felt his face warm up as he whispered with a small, yet strong voice "Yes. I know what it means. Just now I have proposed to you, just like I did back then by accident, but this time it is serious. It is no accident. And I … I … I want you to return it to me." Yuuri added a little timid, then his face flushed brightly and he spouted hurriedly "That means if you … well, still want to be with me. I … I want you by my side. For as long as possible." The younger started to feel faint from all the blood that seemed to leave his head.

The grip wandered on the younger's shoulder where it tightened. Wolfram leaned in and placed his forehead against the others. He looked calm, eerily calm for his standard, but Yuuri could feel the tension in him. Every pore gave of a feeling anxiousness. The blond spoke softly "This feels like a dream. I'm probably still asleep right now. Tell me, why now of all times? And why me? I thought, well …" His sentence trailed off and floated unfinished between them. Yuuri did not need to be told what he had wanted to say. His memory was not lacking, he knew his own excuses.

If possible the Soukukou blushed even more but answered nonetheless. His voice was soft but strong as he slowly said "No, you are not asleep. I made certain you were awake when I hit you, remember?" he gave a small laugh with that statement and then continued "It is very difficult to face someone when it's about involved feelings. Additionally I am still fifteen, not exactly an age where you have tons of experience when it comes to matters of the heart. And … Well … It took me a while, before I could gather enough courage to tell you this." After this sentence Yuuri paused. His eyes slid close and he placed his free hand on Wolframs chest. The racing beat he felt beneath his finger tips was soothing in some way. When he opened them again he looked into emerald pools staring intently in his eyes. Yuuri gave a small smile and continued "I want you by my side. I trust and cherish you more than anyone else. If I … Having you around has become natural to me, if you are missing everything feels wrong. You are like air to me, Wolfram without you I feel like I am suffocating. … This feeling, it was so potent back then when your heart was stolen; I …" the sentence broke and the double-black started to shiver as he remembered that one incident.

Wolfram's eyes teared up a little. His hands wandered from the shoulders downwards and snaked around the others waist. With a sudden pull he had his fiancé's body pressed against his, forcing the other almost on his lap. He squeezed a little tighter, calming the distressed male. Wolfram smiled. The blond took his hands of the other male and took some distance. He lifted his hand and caressed Yuuri's right cheek before he strike out a little and then slapped the other. A short moment later he leaned over and said right into the other's ear "I accept, Yuuri. Thank you; you cannot imagine how much this means to me!" Wolfram whispered passionately. His eyes blazed and shone in serene happiness when they focused back at his face. A small blush coloured his otherwise pale features.

The next moment the mixed-blood was tackled in a hug, making him yelp in shock and surprise. Both lost their balance as they fell backwards into the blankets and cushions. Yuuri squirmed a little at the sudden shift of position, but he calmed a little when he saw that Wolfram was still holding him tightly to his person. He also realized that he would not be given any room for himself this night. So he stopped all movements and slumped in the others arms. The ex-prince cuddled into him and placed his nose into the other's neck, basking in the others scent and warmth. Both were silent. It was not an awkward silence. Just a quite night and an enjoyable moment between two people close to each other. Not so much later Wolfram fell asleep. His grip around his fiancé's waist never faltering and his body never shifting. Actually it was the first time for the double-black to share his bed with the other man and to not get kicked around.

Yuuri looked calmly at Wolfram's face and a smile lit up his face. It might have been difficult in the past and it would be strange to try a relationship, but just the smile on the other's face made every worry, each small doubt and all concerns seem inanely and distant. No matter what, he would protect the smiles of those he loved. And as for his feelings for Wolfram … he had not lied when he told him that he trusted and cherished him. He could learn to love him as much as he deserved and he will do so. The first step was taken, now they would wait and see just how far both of them would make it.

With this last thought ghosting in the back of his mind the king placed his head onto the cushion. Waiting for a small eternity before sleep claimed him as well.

- A.N -

A rather emotional chapter don't you agree? Personally I think that Yuuri would marry Wolf no matter how much you turned and twisted the story. He just wants to make the people around him happy and it is also a great way to show his political affiliation to the Mazoku. Think about it, Yuuri has Susanna's soul and she died while trying to serve her people and friends. And marrying your trusted friend is not even half as harsh as dying in a lazaretto on some battlefield, so I think that I got his character rather nicely.

The 'Ceremony of Maturity' was mentioned in the manga. I do not recall its real name, but on that day Mazoku who reached a certain age were brought in front of the council, where they stated what they intended to do with their life. I decided to take it into my story for various reasons. One of them is that I needed an event in which Yuuri's life span is accommodated to that normal demons.

Normally half-bloods only last half as long as full-bloods, but in the anime you saw various scenes with Conrad when he met Yuuri's parents. About sixteen years before the actual anime. He hardly if anything aged at all! So I decided that there has to be a reason, how someone can outgrow (or better 'outage') his older brother, yet does not age drastically at a later time. How do you like my solution?

I won't be able to update weekly, but I will definitely finish my story and I will continue writing as often as my work allows it.

Until next time, folks!