The Heat of the Moment

Disclaimer- i do not own any of the characters to Kyo Kara Maoh


Chapter 13

The trip home was made in silence. Wolfram glanced at his son as the boy continued to carry his sister on his back. Then the blonde turned his head to make sure Thunder and Shadow were still behind them. The two animals walked side by side quietly. Usually the two would be acting up but not today. ‘Even they can feel the tension in the air.'

Then he turned his attention back to his son. "So tell me son, how is it you were able to use your fire magic?" asked Wolfram.

Yuu said nothing as he stared down at the ground. He sighed. "I had wanted to surprise you at Dominique's birthday party."

"That didn't answer my question. Who has been teaching you? I know it's not an instructor at the academy because they would have told me." Wolfram had stopped walking but Yuu continued. "Yuu. Please tell me, what is going on with you? Why won't you tell me who is teaching you to use your fire?"

Yuu stopped with his head lowered. "Is there a problem with me learning to use my fire as well as learning to use my water?"

"No, but I think I deserve to know who is teaching you." Still Yuu said nothing.
"I just want to make sure you are safe. Having an untrained person teaching you is very dangerous Yuu. If anything happened to you. . ." Wolfram could not finish as he bit his bottom lip.

"You needn't worry father. The person teaching me is trained. In fact, he is in the advance class which is where I would have been if you had just let them put me there in the first place. Then I wouldn't have to sneak around learning from someone else."

Wolfram sighed. "I told you. You should concentrate on one thing at a time. I saw you struggling back there trying to keep the fire lion under control while you were attacking with the water dragon." He reached out a hand and lovingly ran his fingers through the soft, black strands.

"Just forget about it, okay. I'm fine. I was able to combine both my water and fire, and I would have destroyed that wretch."

The blonde 'hmphd' as he stared at the boy from the corner of his eye. "You're a fool if you thought you could actually hurt your father," snapped Wolfram.

"HE IS NOT MY FATHER!" yelled Yuu angrily. "I told you he is nothing to me."

"Please," said Dominique in a hushed voice. Both father and son turned to the little girl on her brother's back. She had her face buried against Yuu's back as tears fell from eyes. "Please, no more fighting. I don't like it when you fight."

"I'm sorry sweetheart," said Wolfram stroking her soft hair.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too Ni-ni." Yuu said turning his head slightly to look at her. "We won't fight any more." Then they continued their walk home in silence.


xxxxx

Later that night Wolfram and his children sat quietly down to dinner. Dominique looked from her sullen father to her emotionless brother. After everything that happened, she expected someone to tell her what was going on. She wished Esmeralda was there. The witch would be able to get them to talk but alas, her teacher had left to collect a special herb she would need in a potion. So it was up to her to find out what was going on and why were her father and brother so angry at that man.

Then she remembered something her daddy said about that strange man being Yuu's father but that can't be. His daddy was her daddy as well, wasn't he? Then she glanced at Yuu. ‘Brother does have the same hair and eye color as that man. Could he really not be my brother?’ Then she turned to stare at Wolfram. The elder demon just picked and poked at his food as he glanced at his son out of the corner of his eye. Well, there was only one way to find out and that was to ask.

"Daddy. Is something wrong?"

Wolfram froze. Then he slowly turned to look at his daughter. "No, why do you ask sweetheart?" He pasted a fake smile on his face.

"Well, that strange man slapped you and then you began to yell at him that you and big brother hated him and then you started to cry?"

"He slapped you?" Yuu narrowed his eyes dangerously as hate began to radiate from him. "On which cheek?"

"It doesn't matter anyway, Yuu," said Wolfram putting a bit of food in his mouth. The food had no taste and it took great effort for him not to scowl or spit it back out.

"I think it does." Then Yuu turned his gaze to his sister. "Which cheek was it Ni-ni? Do you remember?"

The girl closed her violet eyes as she thought back to earlier that day. "It was his . . . left cheek."

"That egotistical bastard!" roared Yuu. "How dare he thinks that he can come here and . . . "

"That’s enough Yuu!" Wolfram slapped his hand against the table glaring angrily at his son. "I told you it doesn't matter what he does. That slap means nothing to me any more."

Yuu grunted and went back to eating his food. They were silent for a short while before Dominique spoke up again.

"Daddy, you never answered my question about that man. Who is he? And why does he say he is brother's daddy?"

"It's nothing," he said stroking her hair.

Yuu sighed. "Tell her father. Dominique has ever right to know the truth."

"But Yuu . . ."

"It's okay." His dark eyes became hard and cold. "Besides, as I keeping constantly telling you, he is nothing to me."

Wolfram sighed as he did not want to be discussing this with his little girl. He pushed his chair back and opened his arms for her to come to him. Dominique hopped down from her chair and went to her father. Wolfram lifted her up and placed her in his lap. "Didn't you ever think your brother looked strange to you?"

She looked to her big brother and then turned her eyes back to her father. "Well, yes I have but he is my big brother. Aren’t all big brothers strange?"

Yuu snorted and grumbled something like 'little brat' which caused his sister to poke her tongue out at him. Wolfram smiled as he thought about his own older brothers. Gwendal with his knitting habit and Conrad who had a heart that was too kind for one soul to possess. Yes, he guessed that maybe big brothers were strange.

"Don't try to sugar coat it father. Just tell her," said Yuu.

Again Wolfram sighed. "Very well. That man is Yuuri Shibuya. He is the king of Shin Makoku, my homeland . . . and Yuu's real father."

Dominique stared at her daddy furrowing her little brows. "But I thought poppa was . . . "

"He is," snapped Yuu. "Dad is the only dad I have. That man you saw today is nothing but a bad memory and should be either forgotten or squashed into dust." The boy's eyes were so cold that they made Wolfram shiver in apprehension.

"But daddy just said . . ."

"It doesn't matter what father said!" Yuu yelled slamming his hands on top of the table and standing up with fierce black eyes burning with rage. "I would sooner die than call that man my father. I hate him! And if I could I . . . I would kill him." Yuu bolted from the room and ran out of the house.

Wolfram watched as his son ran out of the house with angry tears falling from his eyes. He lowered his head and let his own tears fall from his eyes. "I'm sorry Yuu. This is my fault. I shouldn't have run away but what else could I do." His sobs became loud as he held Dominique close to his chest. "If I had stayed, Yuuri would have only hated me and you because he would have been forced to marry me." He began to rock back and forth in his chair. "He would have . . . hated us. Oh Shinou, Ellis! I wish you were still here. I need you. I . . . I don't know what to do any more." The tears fell like rain from his emerald eyes.

Tears began to fall from the bright amethyst orbs of his daughter as she raised her small hands and cupped Wolfram's cheeks. She tilted his face up to look at her. "Don't cry daddy," she smiled sweetly. "Everything will work out. It did when poppa died and it will be this time. You'll see."

Wolfram stared into the watery eyes of his daughter and swore he could see Ellis smiling back at him through their daughter's eyes. He pulled her into his arms and continued to cry. 'I hope so, sweetheart. I truly hope so, for all our sake.'

xxxxx

After running out of the house, Yuu sat under the Rain Tree near the pond throwing rocks into the water. "Stupid stupid man. why did he have to come here?" He picked up another rock and tossed it into the pond.

"Everything was fine until he had to show up." Another rock was thrown into the pond.

Now that his rage had subsided, he began to think about his battle and his first look at his real father. 'He looked just like me. Or in this case, I look like him, same black hair same black eyes. Although I sensed, he was holding back I knew he could have ended the battle between us quickly.' He picked up two more rocks and threw them into the water. 'Whenever I use both my water and fire magic I always leave myself wide open for attack. I really need to work on that. Maybe some of the instructors could help me with that problem.'

Before he could continue with his thoughts, he heard a noise rustling in the bushes. "Who's there?" He picked up a large rock and threw it into the bushes.

"Ouch!" came a disgruntled voice from the bushes. Suddenly a young boy no older than Yuu stood up rubbing the large lump on his forehead.

"Henri, what are you doing skulking around in the bushes?"

The golden hair boy stepped out of the bushes and came to sit beside Yuu. "Well, I just got back a few hours ago and I was told by some of the others about the fire and the fight you had with some foreigner."

"Yeah," Yuu sighed half heartedly. "Remember when I told you that Ellis was not my real father."

"Yes," said the blonde.

"Well, that guy I was fighting was my real father."

"What!" Henri's grey eyes widened in shock. "Oh wow, Yuu. I'm sorry."

Yuu snorted. "Why are you sorry? I'm the one who's sorry. Sorry I have such a ignorant prejudice bastard for a father."

Henri looked shocked at his friend. "You know your father would punish you for saying such a word."

"Well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him, or me," snickered Yuu. "Besides, I hear some of the instructors saying it all the time."

"But that's only because they are older than you," said Henri. "They are allowed to say it."

Yuu just shrugged his shoulders and went back to tossing rocks in the pond.

"Maybe you shouldn't be too hard on him Yuu," said Henri. "According to what you told me, he was raised to believe that male/male relationships were wrong. You can't force change on people."

"That maybe so but he wasn't even trying to understand the customs of the kingdom he was ruling." Yuu stared up into the night sky watching the stars twinkle brightly above them. "I don't see how the people could follow someone who looks down with scorn and disgust at their beliefs."

"Who knows what goes on in the minds of adults." Henri shrugged his shoulders. "They were probably so glad to have a king that they would do anything to keep him. You know how adults are. They're weird."

Then the two boys burst out laughing. Suddenly Yuu stopped laughing as he heard his father calling him in for bed.

"Well, I have to go in," said Yuu standing up and then helping his friend to his feet. "I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at school."

"Oops, I guess you don't know. Classes have been canceled until they fix the school. Good night." Henri waved to his friend as he walked away. "I'll try and come by tomorrow if I'm not busy."

"Okay, good night." Yuu went inside.

xxxxx

Henri made his way through the city's brightly lite streets. There were several glowing crystal globs lined up on both sides of the streets holding back the darkness. He zig zagged through the crowd making his way to one of the finer inns of Americus. Going through the back door, he quietly made his way up the stairs to the second story. He walked to the last door at the end of the hallway and knocked.

"Enter," came a silky voice from the other side of the door.

Henri stepped inside closing the door behind him and fell to one knee before Count Drakko. Suddenly the other three chevaliers stood around the boy.

"Well Gustav, how did young Yuu seemed after meeting his father," Drakko asked with his long legs crossed.

Suddenly, the boy's body began to shift as bones cracked and skin stretched back into its original form. The hair changed from a golden yellow to rich dark brown and eyes went from a grey back to blue. Raising his head, Gustav smiled at his lord.

"Everything went as expected. Those two dragons we saw fighting before we entered the city was in fact Yuu and his father fighting. He still wants nothing to do with his father. Although . . ."

Drakko arched a delicate brow as he was pulled out of his boredom by the hesitant tone in his chevalier's voice. "Although, what?"

"It could be because he is no longer in the vicinity of the man but as we were talking I was sensing that the boy might be starting to become fascinated by his other father."

"That's not good," said Siegmund. "That means he is becoming interested in seeing what kind of man his father is."

"I see. Do you think he will accept the demon king as his father?" Drakko leaned forward in his seat. "Is what Siegmund said true? Is the boy becoming interested in his father?"

"Yes, I do think that deep down some part of him wants to know his real father. I guess it is to be expected of any boy. But you need not worry about it too much, my lord."

"And why is that?"

"I overheard Yuu and his family while they were eating, and the boy most definitely hates the demon king of Shin Makoku," Gustav smiled evilly. "The boy even went so far as to say he would kill him."

"Now that's more like it," said Sigfrid.

"So, what are you going to do now?" asked Nikolas.

"You needn't worry," said the brown hair chevalier smirking. "It might interest you, my lord on what I heard from the girl."

"Oh, and what could a child say that could possibly warrant my interest?" asked the count.

"It seems that King Shibuya has proposed to lord von Bielefeld again.

"What!" Siegmund and Sigfrid yelled in unison.

"Yes, according to the girl, he proposed but lord von Bielefeld started crying and telling him that he hated him."

Count Drakko arched a delicate brow very interested in hearing that. "Well, it seems that our plan is working better than expected. Very soon, we will have the power of Shin Makoku's demon king and that of his son, and I will have the beautiful Wolfram as my consort." Then Drakko stood up.

"Well, if that's the case then we should turn in for the night," said Drakko smiling. "We have to be refreshed when we meet the new demon king."