Kyo kara Maoh!/今日からマ王！ Endearing Naïvety

**Endearing Naivety**

Yuuri hasn't been able to think straight. In fact, he's been noticing quite a few symptoms that aren't exactly healthy… or are they? A short story about Yuuri's self-discovery. Yuuram. Rated T just to be safe.

Yuuri woke up with a soft sigh. A quick glance to the right made his heart sink into his chest. A light shiver coursed through his veins and he quickly wrapped his arms around himself. A solitary, sorrowful thought arose in his mind once again, but he quickly dismissed it for favour of dressing himself. Stealing one last glance to the right, he slowly clambered out of bed.

_Again, _he thought to himself, _He's not here again. He's been spending more and more time away from the castle… I hope he's alright! Maybe he just misses his family?_

Yuuri berated himself internally, realising that Cheri was on a quest for love. Realistically, he reasoned with himself, there was no reason that his fiancé _wasn't _at the castle. Still, he couldn't stop the frenzied thoughts, nor stop the melancholy throbbing of his heart. Silently, he wondered if he was contracting a chest infection. They weren't uncommon on Earth, after all…

Methodically, the double black slid his arms into the shirt of his ebony uniform. Fingers flew as they swiftly pressed the buttons through their holes, veiling the pale skin that lay beneath. Another ghost of a sigh passed his lips as he realised that he had buttoned his shirt incorrectly, again.

"Wolfram usually does this… Ah, why am I thinking of him? He's allowed to do what he wants!" The Maoh laughed nervously to himself, delicately re-buttoning the black uniform. The double black paused as he briefly imagined Wolfram's slender digits correcting his dress, whilst chastising him for lacking the attention span to dress himself properly. However, a quick shake of the head fixed that.

The arguably great leader caught his reflection in a mirror and smiled crookedly. A slight inclination of the head and he headed out of the room, earlier musings forgotten. No, what permeated the youth's mind was the easiest way to avoid Günter. Certainly, he wouldn't miss being 'educated' on the traditions of Shin Makoku.

Nevertheless, Yuuri was never known for his good fortune.

"King Yuuri! There you are!" Günter rushed over to the exasperated youth and eagerly wrapped his arms around him, crushing the poor boy's ribs in an over-exaggerated gesture of affection. "I have great news! Wolfram has returned!"

Despite Günter's mildly jealous (yet forcibly nonchalant) tone, Yuuri found his heart skip a beat. Not trusting his voice he simply nodded his head up and down, but not after forcing out an awkward laugh.

"I'll go to greet him. Thank you, Günter." The double black offered a rather cheerful smile, despite his inner turmoil. Accompanied with the slightly exhilarated beating of his heart, there was a twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach; to say he was thoroughly confused was an understatement.

"…And don't forget our lesson, King Yuuri!" The lilac haired man's exuberant voice cut through his questioning, causing the Maoh to realise how ignorant he was being. Another forced smile and Günter was gone, leaving behind a slight feeling of exaltation.

"Suppose I'll go to greet Wolfram, huh?" Yuuri mused to himself. He found his legs were automatically leading to the horse stable, unbeknownst to the owner. Completely lost in his thoughts, he quite literally walked into another. The force of this sent Yuuri to the floor, accompanied with cursing from the other.

"Wimp! Watch where you're going!" Came the piercing voice of his fiancé. _Ah, _Yuuri thought, _Guess I've already found him._

"I'm sorry, Wolfram." Yuuri stood and offered a hand to the fallen lord, his usual smile permeating his face. Antagonising emerald eyes met black as the latter took the former's hand. Yuuri jolted slightly at the quickening of his heart, shortening of breath and electric spark in his hand. In fact, so shocked was the double black that he merely stood there, desperately trying to make sense of this foreign feeling.

_I never realised how gorgeous his eyes were… _

"…Hey! Yuuri! Are you even listening to me?" Wolfram's voice failed to penetrate the world the other had absorbed him in. A loud harrumph from the other pierced the air as he stepped forward, placing his forehead on the double black's. Said man pulled back in sheer shock. However, his voice died in his throat as he caught sight of Wolfram's face.

"I think you should see Gisela." The blond boy murmured solemnly. " Your forehead is hot. Can't you even look after yourself properly?"

"I… Maybe you're right." The shock was evidenced on the Mazoku's face as he watched Yuuri cave to his requests all too easily. _He really isn't very well, _Wolfram thought vehemently, _I should've stayed to look after him. Hmmph, he really is a wimp! I just wish that he wasn't so endearingly naïve…_

All the while, the double black was trying to discern the strange feeling of butterflies in his stomach. A hand flitted down to the area in question as he began to notice the almost exotic and enticing scent that surrounded his betrothed. Meanwhile, Wolfram considered to observe the endearing male and gritted his teeth, before snatching his hand in a sudden action. A light amount of pain stabbed through his hand, as the younger hadn't been anticipating the sudden contact.

Nor had he anticipated the light-headedness and swelling feeling in his heart that accompanied it.

"That's it! I'll take you to Gisela and _then_ train my soldiers! You better be okay, Yuuri." Wolfram grumbled loudly, his voice barely raised above his normal level. Any usual person would be able to detect the obvious undercurrent of worry, concern and affection. Yet, as usual, the double black was blissfully oblivious to all three sentiments that accompanied his rather harsh words. Furthermore, the gravitas that was associated with the Mazoku using his first name, rather than his title, appeared to be lost on the youth.

Reluctantly, Wolfram charged through the halls of Blood Pledge Castle. A feeling akin to worried frustration coursed through his entire being- he was simply itching to fight, cure Yuuri or simply do _something_. It wasn't fair how Yuuri constantly caused him to worry! If that wasn't bad enough, the other couldn't even tell how _hard _he was trying to win his affections!

If the Mazoku was honest, he had been thinking of finding another suitor. His broken heart could only carry so much optimism; Yuuri was a lost cause. Long accustomed to the feelings of lonliness, longing and attraction, the blond wasn't willing to relinquish his admittedly tight grasp on the larger hand of his betrothed.

For Wolfram, the time to release Yuuri's hand came too soon.

However, Yuuri found that he was able to think clearly once the blond had released his hand. Suddenly, the worrying thoughts of how attractive Wolfram looked and how hard his heart was beating began to cease… or at least, lessen. A deep breath filled Yuuri with both confidence and the air to speak once more. It took an internal shaking of the head to force the thoughts revolving Wolfram's intoxicating scent out of his head. The double black turned to his fiancé and smiled in a way that could easily be misconstrued as affectionate.

"Thank you, Wolfram. You can go and train your soldiers now." Yuuri's tone was bordering on melancholic and defeatist, his whole body language slouched.

_At his tender age, he shouldn't look as if the world is on his shoulders… but in a way, it is. _Wolfram omitted any comment and turned on his heel agitatedly, metaphorically lifting his head up and emitting an aura of royal importance. Yuuri dropped his smile once he heard the retreating footsteps, finding that his own heart quietened simultaneously. Shaking off the queer thoughts that attempted to whisper tales of affections, he opened Gisela's door. He saw that she was alone, sitting at a chair and braiding her hair. Upon spotting the Maoh, the green haired woman sprung to her feet, a look of alarm and confusion flashing across her features.

"King Yuuri!" Her tone conveyed how startled she was. Her mouth formed an 'o' as she took a breath to ask her next question, yet no noise left her lips, for Yuuri had begun to talk abashedly.

"Gisela… I think I might be sick." Yuuri refused to meet her gaze and smiled in a mildly ashamed manner, scratching the back of his head a few times. Gisela smiled inwardly, seeming to lack concern about this self-proclaimed ailment. Tentatively she took a few steps to the few chairs in her room, gesturing for Yuuri to take a seat; she had already taken hers. After this, Gisela merely undid her braid and allowed her hair to cascade down her shoulders, framing her youthful face attractively

Yuuri noted this as an afterthought, taking his seat nervously. _Wait… why don't I feel like that now..?_

"Right… Let's do a few tests, alright Yuuri?" Her angelic voice juxtaposed the sardonic, almost knowing glint in her eyes. Yuuri gulped and gripped his chair a little tighter.

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Yuuri sighed loudly and sank back into his chair, a concerned Gisela above him. She scrutinised the results she had procured after the examination.

"Well… There's nothing _physically _wrong with you." Yuuri sighed in relief after these words were uttered, the small five minute wait for the Tell-Me-Your-Temperature-Kun to finish analysing the results was excruciating. "Why don't you tell me what's _really _wrong?"

The Maoh froze and his eyes widened exponentially. His frantic heart beat in alarm, as if he truly did have something to hide. Obsidian eyes trailed down to the floor as he found himself being unable to meet the curious eyes of the woman. A soft, barely audible murmur left his lips as he voiced his internal turmoil for the first time.

"Well… I noticed it a few months ago. Whenever I saw… someone… my heart would get all funny. I felt really sick and anxious! I began to miss, ah… someone." He clasped his hands together as he sought more strength in his voice, the sound trembling from sheer nerves. "I thought my heart would beat out of my chest! Sometimes I couldn't speak, but I guess that's because I _am _a wimp… Ah, I sometimes found myself thinking weird things about someone, and missing them. Even the simplest of things sometimes reminded me of them! Strange, huh? Am I dying, Gisela? I think I'm ill! I can't breathe around them and it's so difficult… Wait, why are you laughing?"

Gisela's soft peal of laughter echoed through the air, Yuuri's exasperated and incredulous eyes widening in sheer disbelief. She was laughing at his plight? Soon, though, he noticed that it wasn't a laugh of humour, nor was it one of sardonic intention; no, it was more pitying and understanding.

Gracefully, she wiped a stray tear from her eye. "Yuuri… You're perfectly healthy. In fact, I think you have some self-reflection to do. Have you told _someone _of this?" Her words were followed by a small smirk, an action which Yuuri bypassed mentally.

"Well… no..? Why would I?" The greatly naïve leader tilted his head to the side innocently: A perfect picture of blissful ignorance. Upon these words, Gisela vacated her seat smoothly. Turning her back, she murmured a few memorable words to the Maoh.

"I think you should go tell them."

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Yuuri ran a hand through his hair and hissed through his teeth. Despite being uncharacteristic, the Maoh was frustrated. It had been two days since he had that discussion with Gisela, had written any paperwork, endured Günter's 'insightful' lessons...

Two days since he had seen Wolfram.

Internally, he knew that he shouldn't care as much as he did. He _knew_, yet he couldn't stop his mind from constantly drifting to the blond Mazoku. Emerald eyes, beautiful blond hair and a cleverly veiled muscular body- a god among men.

The Maoh's hands gripped and tugged on the ebony locks, yanking them in such a way that the pain brought tears to his closed eyes. A shuddering breath filled his lungs and he glanced down at the paperwork staring him dead in the eyes. Call him delirious, but even the paper was begging for him to do _something_.

From afar, Gwendal observed the rather strange actions of the peaceful man. So strange was he that Gwendal had neglected to adhere to his own administerial duties for a whole hour. _I can't take much more of this… he needs to act now. _The sound of Gwendal's resolve snapping was almost audible.

"King Yuuri. You need to talk to Wolfram. Go, now, before I change my mind." Gwendal's voice cut through the silent tension expertly. However, instead of jumping, the King merely rose with an exhaustion that only the aged possess. The boy seemed to drift out of the room like an ectoplasm. Surely, it didn't register that Gwendal had allowed that to happen?

No, for he was too consumed by his own swirling thoughts.

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The tapping of feet resounded throughout the empty chamber. The silence was choking; the loneliness all consuming.

Yuuri sat in his seat with his hands clasped. A facial expression befitting the original Great Sage graced his face, creasing the virgin skin of his forehead for the first time. If his obsidian eyes were open, they would have conveyed the wretched state he found himself in. Questions and doubts raced through his mind, causing him to doubt the conclusion he had come to:

He would face Wolfram. Tonight.

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The blond Mazoku huffed loudly and opened the door aggressively, slamming it behind him. How dare his men defy him? They deserved the extra laps around the castle! However, he wasn't quite prepared for the pitiful sight that befell his eyes. So sorrowful was the sight that it made Wolfram's heart twist painfully in pity.

Tears glistened upon the pale face of his fiancé, illuminated by the moonlight trickling through the open window. The silver light outlined the frame of the other man perfectly. Unfortunately, the other's head snapped up and ruined the romantic illusion with his voice, pitched perfectly between melancholy and hopeful. Wolfram felt his heart leap in hope at the expression on Yuuri's face; Hope, despair, attraction, fear… innumerable emotions. That is, until he spoke his first words.

"We need to talk, Wolfram." Yuuri's voice sounded quite grave and strained, as if he had been crying for quite a while. The blond huffed and bristled immediately.

"About what?" He sniffed dismissively and paced over to the double black, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Us."

Fearing the worst, the blond blurted out the dark secret he had been hiding for a while.

"Don't worry about marrying me! I've already found another suitor!" Yuuri stood up so fast it caught the more experienced man by surprise, causing him to take a step backward in fear. Never before had he seen Yuuri look so enraged _without _being taken over by his Maoh side. Terrified and confused, Wolfram steeled his outward appearance and fashioned it into a pained glare. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

"No!"

Yuuri's voice pierced through the air and caused Wolfram's heart to take flight in hope. His heartbeat increased and his hands began to shake, his body language seeming a lot more timid and shocked than before. Yuuri's shoulders hunched slightly as he began to blurt out all of the symptoms he had stupidly mistaken for an illness, all the while pacing forward.

"I think about you all the time! My heart skips beats, beats too fast and makes me feel strange. I swear there's butterflies in my stomach and sickness and stuff the next moment! My voice catches and I just keep staring at you and _I can't take my eyes away from you!_" Upon his last words, Yuuri placed his hands upon the blond's shoulders, eye's level with each other.

Obsidian met emerald in the sweetest and purest of ways. Wolfram's lips twitched and he laughed in an agonised manner, his eyebrows furrowing deeply. Without a moment of hesitation he slapped Yuuri's hands away, fury and despair flashing across his face angrily.

"What are you saying Yuuri? Do you find it funny to play with my feelings? Why did I fall in love with a wimp like you?!" His voice became smaller and more vulnerable as he admitted the lurking attraction within his own heart and mind, realising that his dreams would never come true. Grass green orbs squeezed shut of their own accord; he couldn't lose Yuuri. _But how can I lose what I never had?_

"That's not true! Wolfram Von Bielefield, I…" Yuuri took a deep breath and whispered the words that he never thought he would utter.

"I love you."

Wolfram felt his world crash around him succeeding that heartfelt confession. Eyes widened, hearts beat in sweet synchronisation and doubts were quietened.

"R…Really?" Wolfram questioned, not daring to believe it.

"Yes… I realised it when I was waiting for you." Yuuri laughed awkwardly and tried to suppress the fiery blush that stained his cheeks in such an innocent way. "I guess I kinda sound like a girl from a book, huh?"

The absurdity of the situation evoked a laugh from the Mazoku officer. The light-hearted, relieved sound was soon joined by a slightly deeper, more ecstatic laugh from the double black. Once their moment was over, Yuuri gained the confidence to ask something of his dear fiancé.

"Hey, Wolfram?"

"What is it, wimp?" _That nickname shouldn't make me smile as much as it does…_

_"_I'm not a wimp! And… is it alright if I kiss you?"

Wolfram smiled in a demure way, pink emblazoning his cheeks in a chagrined fashion. He tightly crossed his arms and squeezed his eyes shut, as if his subsequent words were too embarrassing to admit.

"Wimp. Of course it is. We're fiancés, re-"

The blond was slightly disgruntled that his words had been cut off, yet the reason made up for it. The instant he felt the slightly chapped lips of the other, he felt as if he were in a dream. The innocent touching of lips sparked up an unquenchable thirst and feisty passion within him, that he was almost scared he would be consumed by it. His thoughts swirled as he focused on the brief connection of lips. Fortunately for Wolfram, Yuuri was thinking much of the same. His heart beat like a drum, playing a tune of sweet desire against his chest. Hands moved of their own accord and carded through silken, golden locks of hair. So desperate was he to be closer to the other and consummate their love chastely, that he gravitated closer to the older Mazoku.

Alas, the ending of the kiss was bittersweet.

Both boys pulled back from their intimate moment, their breathing laboured. Neither of them had predicted how much their chaste affection would affect them.

"Hey, Yuuri?"

"Yes?" Inquisitive obsidian met with mischievous emerald.

"I love you too. Wimp."

"I'm not a wimp!"

Et finis~


End file.

Kyo kara Maoh!/今日からマ王！, Drama, Romance