Dying to Live

Disclaimer: I do not own Kyo Kara Maoh or make any money from this, no copyright infringement was intended.





Sorry it took so long. Plot shuffling…sighs. This is unbetaed again. If anyone is interested, please let me know. In addition, the song is from Hocus Pocus.





The blade on the houzaki-incrusted dagger flashed silver and glowed purple as it flew through the air. The ground shook and trembled, rising from its humble state to stand strong as a mountain before Gwendal. Gwendal waited for the sound of impact but none came.





Gwendal peered around the mountain cautiously. “Gunter…” Gwendal whispered staring into his lover’s eyes. Gunter smiled gently back, a trickle of blood running slowly from the corner of his thin lips. Ulrike stood just behind him and to the side, her eyes wide and glistening.





Gunter slowly began to fall, his back arching slightly. His eyes sliding closed, hair fanning out as gravity pulled the blood splatter towards his hair.





“It is always silent after something horrible happens.” Hisao spoke calmly walking up the steps. Looking down at the splayed out form of Gunter, Hisao sank to his knees. “Why is it always so quiet before there is a burst of sound?”





“You have killed on sacred ground.” Ulrike finally spoke her voice disbelieving.





“He is not dead.” Hisao spoke fondly. “Merely sleeping, waiting for the instant for things to change.”





“What have you done?” Gwendal roared the ground trembling in his combined anguish and despair.





“Given myself a way out or maybe shown you the way to kill me.” Hisao spoke cryptically caressing one of the long pale locks of hair.





“Don’t talk in riddles, speak plainly.” Gwendal commanded his voice as immovable as the mountains.





“If in fact you love him and he loves you, your kiss should wake him up.” Hisao stood from his crouched position. “However, if you fail the houzaki will not only kill him but yourself as well.”





“Why should I believe you?” Gwendal demanded his gray eyes implacable.





“You don’t have to.” Hisao spoke with a shrug. “Technically because of sanctuary you can’t hurt me because I didn’t kill him, granted you have only 100 days because of the houzaki to save him, not 100 years.”





“His blood is flowing down the stairs, painting them crimson.” Ulrike argued her voice tinkling.





“If I had broken sanctuary you would have felt it.” Hisao looked at Ulrike calmly. “Assuming you are the handmaiden here.”





Gwendal glanced at Ulrike to find her nodding in agreement. “What are your terms?”





“This isn’t a ransom.” Hisao smiled briefly at Gwendal’s officious tone. “This is a gamble. If your feelings and his feelings hold true after you kiss, Gunter will awaken. He will be a pint short of blood but he will live.” Hisao shrugged out the last bit.





“What happens to you?” Shori asked stepping out of the shadows beyond the door.





“I will be at your mercy.” Hisao bowed in acknowledgement.





“Loopholes are the quickest way to the noose.” Shori bowed back politely.





“You will be confined to one room to await the verdict.” Yuuri spoke calmly from the shadows. “If you have lied, no rule, old or new, will keep me from rendering you to shreds.”





“This is surreal.” Wolfram whispered venomously from his place next to Yuuri, rubbing his stomach in an absentminded fashion.





“No it is the challenge of Sleeping Beauty.” Murata explained pushing his glasses up on his nose, one hand securely holding onto Shori’s arm.





“That’s a fairy tale.” Yuuri exclaimed staring at Ulrike for confirmation.





“No, it is a story that made it across the worlds.” Ulrike retorted clasping her hands in front of her before her face morphed from its normal serene expression to one of command. Her eyes glowed white hot as they landed on Hisao. Ulrike’s normally childish voice crackled out of her mouth with authority. “By your own words you are bound to the room of Judgment. For the course of actions you have set into motion, there is only one resolution. Do you accept your punishment if you are proven false in your accusation?”





“I do.” Hisao nodded to Ulrike respectfully. Liquid water chains flowed from Ulrike to Hisao hardening into diamonds, chaining them together. With a nod at the two kings, Ulrike dissolved them into the ground.





“What accusation did Hisao make?” Yuuri asked turning his gaze to Murata as Shori lifted Gunter bridal style and took him into the temple, Gwendal following closely behind.





“Hisao accused Gwendal of lying about his true feelings for Gunter.” Murata explained his eyes watching as Shori smoothly moved, unhampered by Gunter’s weight. “The true test of Sleeping Beauty isn’t about just true love; it is about the soul as well.”





“I see.” Yuuri’s eyes closed and his hand came up to scratch his chin. “You would know a lot about that wouldn’t you? Compared to Shori’s or even my soul, yours is even older.”





Murata stiffed abruptly. “What do you mean?”





“Simply that you are a grumpy old man.” Yuuri responded turning to find where Wolfram had made off to, refocusing when he found Wolfram taking care of Gwendal’s horse. “You still haven’t explained this test of soul.”





“It’s complicated.” Murata hedged feeling slightly uneasy, the story being to close to his own.





“In the last couple of months what hasn’t been?” Yuuri scoffed. “If it were that easy Gwendal could have just kissed Gunter already and been done with it.”





“True but there are thorns and dragons surrounding him like the fairy tale.” Murata sighed rubbing the back of his head gingerly. “I need to gather my thoughts and more information before I tell you the whole of it.”





“By all means…” Yuuri acknowledged Murata’s statement with a nod, his eyes still on Wolfram.





“You both should be in bed.” Shori commanded approaching the two. “The travel here takes a lot of energy. Neither of you have healed enough to be doing anything to extraneous.”



“Yes mom.” Yuuri grumbled at his brother as Wolfram had approached and heard their conversation.





“Come on wimp let’s get you to bed.” Wolfram commanded dragging Yuuri to the guesthouse next to the temple.





Shori shook his head as he watched them go before he turned his eyes to Murata. Studying him briefly, Shori held out his hand. Sighing exaggeratedly Murata took it and followed behind Shori grumbling half heartedly about demanding kings.









“You know you are going to die.” Ulrike spoke quietly from her side of the cage. The place she had dragged Hisao to was an underground cave. The moistness of the walls hid the unyielding diamonds below the black surface.





“No I won’t.” Hisao smiled looking at Ulrike. “Gwendal has no idea what happened because he was covered in Earth. The others arrived too late to see what Gunter did, what I really did.” Hisao studied his hands and Ulrike remained silent. “You can’t leave me to tell them what you saw. If they don’t know or can’t figure it out Gunter dies, regardless of if Gwendal his soul mate and true love.”





“I saw the houzaki on the blade but what did you do?” Ulrike spoke her eyes widening as she replayed the scene repeatedly in her head.





“I won.” Hisao spoke and began to hum lightly to himself. The sound growing until he was singing,





Come little children, I’ll take you away,

To a land of enchantment----





“You couldn’t have…” Ulrike felt every bone in her body solidify into stone. The music of her heartbeat roaring through her ears, demanding a release, an explosion of some sort but she was stone.





“If you leave me to help them I am free to leave as well.” Hisao studied her, eyes ablaze with a special kind of madness. “Now what exactly is the lovely temple maiden going to do?” For once Ulrike was terrified of the answer because Hisao was right, one way or the other Hisao could win.





FYI: This chapter may be a tad confusing and vague but it is done purposefully, I assure you.