Dying to Live

Disclaimer: I do not own Kyo Kara Maou.


Gwendal stood in his office overlooking the gardens rubbing his pregnant belly. Seven months along and he was poking out so much he swore he was having twins. Giselle had promptly informed that no, he was not having twins but he was having a very large baby. Gwendal had frowned at her as he left but walking back to his office, he could barely contain a smile. He was having a baby.


Ever since he had been a little boy, he had enjoyed children. Unfortunately, he had never had the chance to be around them much because of his family situation. Gwendal had been a teen of barely sixty when his chance of siring children became nonexistent.


Baseball was a foreign concept to most of the kingdom but sword fighting was not. His instructor was a man three times his age. The long black hair, amber eyes and muscular build had been the first thing to capture Gwendal’s attention. The way his instructor had seemed to assert this authority without even trying, calm but with a certain level of bluntness that was seldom misunderstood. The dry humor his instructor projected was legendary among his students, sometimes he told them to call him Kohaku, amber, because of his eyes. Other times he would tell them to call him Kuro, black, because of his hair. He used many different names and no one was sure which was real.


Regardless of what name he went by, the instructor was like the father Gwendal had never had. Gwendal had trained relentlessly to become a great fighter. He would train until he had nothing left and his instructor would have to help him back to his rooms.


Gwendal looked up to and adored his instructor to the point of obsession. Gwendal wanted to do everything he saw his instructor do. One night Gwendal had followed his instructor to a place where he knew he did not belong. Gwendal had not cared who saw him but he should have, Wolfram had decided that he would practice his stealth.


Gwendal had watched his instructor brutalize a whore. The whore was begging for mercy but his instructor just continued. Gwendal felt sick watching and his feelings for his instructor turned. He tried to sneak away quietly but he made enough noise to betray his location. Gwendal almost escaped when he spotted Wolfram, lying asleep not to far where his instructor had been. Gwendal quickly ran to his brother to try to get him away. His instructor caught him before he had the chance.


Gwendal remembered the smell of the alcohol and rancid trash as his instructor grabbed him. Gwendal recalled struggling valiantly to overcome his instructor. Being hit over the head and bent over a barrel, Gwendal still struggled. Wolfram woke up and stared into the eyes of his brother. It was good fortune that Wolfram did not scream. Gwendal mouthed for him to stay silent, for the first time Wolfram listened and cried silently.


After what had seemed like a long time, the instructor finished and left Gwendal in the alley. Wolfram had managed to get them home. He could not seem to make himself stop crying and Gwendal was in no condition to comfort him. Instead, Gwendal swore Wolfram to secrecy. Wolfram had agreed to keep it secret but got the instructor dismissed. Gwendal had the instructor exiled for his crimes. Many were against the exile but the instructor went quietly and the commotion surrounding it died down. Gwendal never saw the man again.


“Gwendal, why are you crying?” Gunter asked wrapping his arms around him and rubbing his stomach. Resting his chin on Gwendal’s shoulder, he nuzzled his neck.


“Just thinking.” Gwendal murmured blandly not even aware that tears were still falling.


“Don’t be sad, we can have a small wedding. Who needs all the pomp and circumstance when we are starting our family?” Gunter soothed mentally crossing off hundreds of people from the guest lists and getting the guest list down to a hundred of their closet friends and family.


“Good.” Gwendal agreed pleased that something good had come out of his reliving his past. Something that would help him push more firmly forward.


“Now no more tears.” Gunter exclaimed kissing them gently away. Gwendal merely grunted and shook his head at how the world worked. Even now as he stood in a place where his instructor could not reach him, he still felt his influence.


“Hey Gwendal I have a question.” Yuuri entered the room followed closely by a red-faced Wolfram. “Who else taught Wolfram to fight? He says it was just you and Conrad but Cecilie started to say someone else and he set her hair on fire.”


Gwendal swayed slightly, paling and reaching for the windowsill. He found Gunter’s hand instead. Wolfram’s gaze met Gwendal’s and they both looked away quickly. Yuuri observed this silently and raised an eyebrow at Gunter who shook his head.


“So how are wedding plans?” Yuuri asked tactfully changing the subject.


“We are lowering the guest list to a hundred or so.” Gunter responded leading Gwendal to a chair. Pressing Gwendal into the chair he went around the desk and grabbed Yuuri’s arm. “Now you can get an important lesson in diplomacy from this, how to pick guests without excluding the ones that would cause trouble.” Gunter said as he dragged the struggling Yuuri away. When the door had closed Wolfram collapsed in the chair in front of Gwendal’s desk.


“One of these days you are going to have to tell Gunter about being raped. You already told Conrad and even Murata.” Wolfram spoke from his slouched position in front of the desk.


“Maybe before we marry, maybe never, I don’t know.” Gwendal rubbed his belly as he thought.


“I can’t wait until I am pregnant.” Wolfram moaned enviously noticing Gwendal’s habit.


“Yuuri spoils you an abysmal amount already.” Gwendal deadpanned just to draw his brother out of his mood.


“Yes he does and I like it.” Wolfram smiled and shared a rare moment of companionable silence with his older brother.


Outside the door Gunter and Yuuri stood. Neither spoke but they both began to walk down the hallway. The air thickened around them as they walked. The maids who saw them ran to get out of their way. Yozak who was happily whistling down the hallway saw them and dived behind a pillar. Quietly he began to shadow the pair as they made their way down into the dungeons.


Gunter solicitously opened one of the doors for Yuuri before following him in. Yozak moved to get closer but a shockwave of magical energy knocked him on his ass. Yozak quickly stood and ran for it. Spying on Gunter and Yuuri any longer probably would not be good for his health.


Shori blinked at the record in front of him and then blinked again. There was the man Hisao but the only thing recognizable was his amber eyes. Everything else was completely different. Instead of a buzz cut, his hair was long and silky. His skin in the records was pale and delicate but now it was a golden tan.


“Shori what are you doing?” Bob growled stalking toward his apprentice in a threatening manner.


“What you told me to do. Protect the Sage.” Shori retorted yawning.


“What are you doing looking at that file?” Bob asked quietly, his eyes taking in the picture while his mind went through all the information he had filed away in his head. “You shouldn’t have access to that file.”


“So there is something strange about this guy?” Shori came to attention looking at Bob inquiringly.


“He was never formally accused of anything.” Bob shrugged crossing his arms.


“Rumors, scandals…” Shori led hoping he would get more information.


“Technically he asked for political asylum here.” Bob paused briefly. “One source says he fled the other realm because of a power struggle between his family and another. Another source says it has something to do with the von Voltaires.”


“Gwendal?” Shori cocked his head.


“If you could get an answer out of him about it you would be the first.” Bob confirmed. Shori scratched his chin lightly his brain trying to focus but lack of sleep was getting to him at last.


“In the morning I will write up the report to Yuuri and maybe he will be able to get the information.” Shori sighed wearily. “It should be interesting because it was his former coach. You would think that one of us would have noticed.”


“Sometimes degrees of separation are a lot closer than you think.” Bob stated evenly his eyes narrowed behind his shades.


“Is there something I don’t know?” Shori’s gaze sharpened on Bob.


“The last time Yuuri was here he was…” Bob paused searching for a word that would lessen the blow but gave up. “Raped.”


Shori blinked, opened his mouth, closed it and quietly stood. “Shori.” Bob called in warning.


“Bob this is not the time to try and calm me down.” Shori commented ruthlessly. “This is the time for you to shut up and let me deal, otherwise Bob I will ask questions that I know you don’t have the answer to. Oh and Bob remember you can’t kick my ass nearly as well as you use to. If you don’t know the answer to something it would be really hard to get me not to kill you.”

Bob wisely realized that his heir apparent was coming into his own. Bob also realized that it might be necessary for him to put up an extra guard around his rooms. “Shori, where are you going?” Bob called reasonably.


“Murata is going to that coach’s house and probably has no idea what that bastard is going to try. For all we know the coach got a hold of Yuuri as well.” Shori fumed as he left the room. Bob contemplated his prodigy’s statement and his eyes narrowed. He quickly went around what he knew and realized that certain things lined up a little too well.


“Shori’s observations may be valid.” Bob murmured going to get in contact with his contemporary.


I currently am getting a hostile look from my beta, wow and a death threat over what could happen in the next chapter. She knows where this is going or she thinks she does. Strap on your seatbelts folks cause after this chapter things get interesting.