The Heat of the Moment

disclaimer- id do not own any of the characters from Kyo Kara Maoh. all rights and whatnots belong solely to the original author. i make no money from this story.

Chapter 28

Inside the dark foreboding castle, Count Drakko sat on his throne and listened to Nikolas give the report that he had received from Gustav earlier that day.

"According to the message Gustav sent, it seems that King Yuuri took Yuu to the world he was raised on."

He tapped one painted fingernail gently against the armrest. "Does he know how long they will be gone?" asked Drakko crossing one long, slender leg over the other.

"I'm afraid not." The blonde hair chevalier smirked slightly. "He said it was rather sudden."

"Oh, what do you mean?"

"Well, according to Gustav, he was able to watch everything while hidden safely in the garden. His Majesty had the boy across his shoulders running toward the fountain in the courtyard," said Nikolas. "Then he jumped in and they disappeared."

Drakko arched a delicate brow. "Disappeared, you say?"

"Yes, my Count."

Before Nikolas could say anything more, Sigfrid and Siegmund walked into the throne room and dropped to one knee. "We bring word about Lord von Bielefeld," said Sigfrid. He wore his hair in a loose braid hanging over his left shoulder. He raised a hand silencing them. "Go ahead, Nikolas and finish what you were saying."

"Yes. Gustav was able to listen in on the king's advisors. It seems that a swirling vortex of water is how His Majesty King Yuuri travels to Earth and back again."

"It makes sense. He is of course a water weilder. So, it's only natural that he would be able to use water to travel from one world to another." Then the effeminate Count turned his attention to the scarlet hair twins. "Now, what is this news you have about Lord von Bielefeld?"

"He has given up his position as ambassador to Carolia and is as we speak gathering his belongings and preparing to leave for Shin Makoku."

"He received a letter from his brother telling him that Yuu was there with them," said Siegmund. Unlike his brother, he wore his hair in a loose bun with strands of hair dangling down on either side of his face.

"I see," said Drakko resting a perfectly manicure hand under his chin and resting his elbow on the armrest. "Well, I always knew Wolfram would follow his son no matter where he went." The Count chuckled to himself. "He would have followed the boy here if he knew this was where he had been staying for that month."

"I'm worried about something," said Sigfrid.

"What is it brother?"

"Well, I know Yuu's feelings better than anyone. Although he may not admit it but deep in a corner of his heart, he longs to know what sort of man his other father is. If the two of them are together . . . "Sigfrid trail off letting the accusation hang in the air like an ominous cloud.

"No, I can't believe he would betray Count Drakko by siding with the man who treated his beloved father like so much trash." Siegmund stared at his twin appalled that he would even suggest such a thing. "The boy has showed nothing but absolute disgust for the man."

"True but the heart is a delicate thing when it concerns a child and parent," said Nikolas. "I think we should make plans encase the brat tries something. You know your brother's empathic powers are always correct. How can you doubt him?"

"I know but still . . ." Before Siegmund could say anything else; Count Drakko raised a hand silencing them.

"It matters not if the boy accepts King Yuuri as his father or not. Yuu is bond to me body and soul as one of my chevaliers," he smirked at his three subjects. "You know the penalty for breaking the oath as a chevalier." Drakko opened his hand revealing a black crystal. The power inside the crystal swirled like a raging storm. There was also a dark blue aura around the crystal. It seemed to pulse like a beating heart in the Count's palm. "I figuratively hold his heart in my hand."

"Of course my Count, please forgive my doubts," said Sigfrid.

"Now Nikolas, send a message back to Gustav and tell him to continue to keep an eye on everything that is happening in Shin Makoku. Also, tell him to report back as soon as Yuu and his father return. I want to know what their relationship is like." Then he turned to the twins. "As for the two of you, i want you to make sure the chamber is prepared. The little Introduction Celebration will be happening soon and we shall make our move then."

"As you command," the three said in unison. They bowed, stood up and walked out of the throne room to carry out their duties.

"Oh Yuu. You foolish boy. Didn’t I warn you about any acts of betrayal?" Drakko sighed as he turned his head to look out the window. Then he turned his gaze away from the window to stare a large portrait of Wolfram hanging on the above the door. "My dear Wolfram, what will you do when you realize too late that your precious son has betrayed you." An evil twisted smile spread across his face. He stood up and walked toward the portrait to stand before it. He stared into the vibrant green eyes of the painting with longing and lust. "I did not get rid of that unworthy human of yours just to lose you to an idiot boy king. I look forward to the day when you become mine." Suddenly his sinister laughter echoed off the walls of the dark castle.

xxxxx

Wolfram and Dominique stood on the crowded dock with Eric and Corwyn. Their things were already aboard the ship.

"I told you before. Don't worry about a thing, Wolfram," said Corwyn smiling at the blonde. "I'll make sure all your things are properly packed and sent to Shin Makoku."

"And you don't have to worry about leaving so suddenly," said Eric. "I received word from Lady Flynn and she said your replacement is on the way here as we speak."

"Thank you Eric," said Wolfram. "I would not leave so suddenly but Conrad said Yuu is there and I . . ."

"It's all right." The silver hair monarch rested a hand on Wolfram's shoulder smiling. "I understand."

Corwyn knelt before Dominique smiling at the girl. "Make sure you take care of your father and your brother, Dominique."

"I promise," she giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. He stood up lifting the child in his arms.

"And you needn't worry about Thunder. I will get him when we come back for the Introduction Celebration," said Wolfram.

Shadow stood up on all four and stretched. Then the feline walked over to the two men and rubbed his head against the back of Corwyn's and then Eric's legs. Both men laughed as they scratched the black feline behind its ear.

"Are you sure it's wise to take Shadow?" asked Eric.

"I believe it will be all right," said Wolfram smiling as the cat sauntered over to him and sat on its haunches beside the blond. "He is so attached to Dominique that he goes wherever she goes."

Just then, one of the crew walked up to them announcing that they will be leaving as soon as Wolfram and his family gets onboard.

"Well, I guess this is good bye for now," said Wolfram smiling at his friends. "Thank you both again for everything over the past ten years. in addition, thank you for being there for me when Ellis died. i don't know if i could have gone on without all your support."

"Don't thank us," said Corwyn. "Besides, we were happy to help out a friend."

"Anyway, I think you owe all your thanks to Yuu and Dominique," said Eric.

"Oh, I'm thankful for them everyday of my life." Wolfram raised a hand gently stroking his daughter's cheek.

"Don't be sad, daddy," said Dominique.

"She's right. It's not as though we will never see each other again." The silver hair king reached over, took the girl into his arms, and kissed her on the cheek. "Now that Ellis has charted an easier way for us to get to the other side, we will visit as much as we can." He turned his attention to the girl. "Now Ni-ni, I want you to be a good girl for your uncles and grandmother while in Shin Makoku. And be sure to keep your daddy out of trouble."

Dominique giggled as she hugged the young man tightly. "I'll make sure to keep an eye on him."

"Hey," pouted Wolfram. "That's no way to treat your dear father."

They burst out laughing.

"Uncle Corwyn, where is Uncle Derrick?" Dominique asked while looking for the red hair demon.

"I was wondering the same thing." Wolfram frowned. "So, where is the absent minded inventor? I would have thought he would be here to see us off."

"Well," Eric said hesitantly as be began to scratch the back of his neck. Before he could say one word, a shock of vibrant red hair caught their attention. Turning, they saw Derrick running toward them. In his hand, he carried a large brown bag. "Made it."

"I thought you weren't going to make it," said Corwyn.

"I almost didn't," said Derrick panting. "I was looking for one of my more recent inventions to show my cousin but I had a hard time finding it. At the last minute, I remembered where I had put it, and here I am."

"Uncle Derrick," Dominique held her arms out to him. He took her into his arms hugging her tight and kissing her on the forehead.

"Wait a minute," said Wolfram. "What did you mean by showing your cousin one of your inventions?"

"Well, I've decided that I am going to go with the two of you to meet my cousin," said the red hair man smiling at his friend.

"What?"

"Hurray!" cheered Dominique throwing her arms up. "Uncle Derrick is coming with us."

"Why would you want to come with us?"

"Well, everyone else got to see their cousin except for me. Therefore, I decided that I will go with you. Besides I want to see all the wonderful inventions my cousin has created. And I want to show her one of mine."

'Oh boy, Gwendal is not going to like having two Karebelnikoff inventors under the same roof as him.' "I don't know about them being wonderful," said Wolfram scratching the side of his nose. "Her inventions tend to send everyone running for the hills."

"Well it's a good thing I'm coming with you then. I can help her with her inventions."

Wolfram began to snicker as he thought about the look on his eldest brother's face as another Karebelnikoff invades the castle. "Gwendal is going to freak out," Wolfram mumbled under his breath.

"What was that, Wolfram?" Eric asked his friend while wearing a knowing smirk on his face.

"Oh! It was nothing," said the blonde. "Well, it's time for us to be leaving. I'll see you in a month."

"Take care," said Eric. "And don't let Derrick and his cousin destroy Blood Pledge Castle before we have had a chance to see it."

"Ha ha ha, you are so funny. I forgot to laugh," said the red head in a deadpanned voice.

Derrick placed Dominique on the ground. Then Wolfram took her by the hand and they went to board the ship. Once they boarded the ship, the sailors pulled the gangplank away and the ship began to pull slowly away from the docks. Dominique waved to her uncles on the dock and they waved back.

"Good luck with Yuu!" Corwyn yelled to the blonde. "I hope everything will be all right when you get there!"

"I hope so too!" yelled Wolfram waving to the two men.

Eric and Corwyn continued to stand on the docks until the ship disappeared over the horizon.

"Do you think everything will be all right once Wolfram gets home?" Eric asked the older man as he turned his gaze up to the bright blue sky.

"All we can do is hope for the best," said Corwyn. "And pray that Yuu hasn’t gotten himself into something that will break his father’s heart."

"I hope you're right, Corwyn."

xxxxx

Shortly after leaving Americus, Wolfram was leaning over the side of the ship emptying his stomach.

"Wolfram, what's wrong?" asked Derrick coming to stand beside his friend with a worried look on his face.

"Ugh, I feel like I have just thrown up everything I have eaten," groaned a pale faced Wolfram leaning his head over the railing.

"Daddy, are you all right?" Dominique asked worried as she pulled at his pants let.

Wolfram looked down at his daughter and forced a smile on his face. “Of course I am. So, don't worry."

"Wolfram, are you sea sick?" The red hair demon rested a hand on Wolfram's shoulder.

The blonde turned pale face bloodshot eyes at the red head. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Derrick snickered. "Why don't you go lay down. Shadow and I will watch Dominique for you." The panther was curled up near the main mast enjoying the warmth of the sun.

"Okay," said Wolfram. Then he knelt down resting his hand on top of Dominique's head. "Now, I'm going to go lay down for a while. I want you to be a good girl and listen to your uncle Derrick. Also, be sure not to get in the way of the crew. They are very busy."

"Okay daddy, I will be a very good girl."

Wolfram kissed her on the top of her head and stood up. "Ugh, I hate traveling by sea.” He slowly dragged his weak body to his cabin.

xxxxx

The journey to Shin Makoku was uneventful. There was a storm but it was not as bad as it could have been if they were traveling the Great Abyssal Sea. However, the storm made Wolfram's seasickness worse. The blonde felt as though his stomach was about to turn inside out. He kept a bucket at his side during the entire voyage. It was a week later when they arrived at the docks in Shin Makoku much to Wolfram's relief. The herbs the healer had given him did help but he still was hit with a serious bout of seasickness. Once the gangplank was lowered, the blonde rushed off the ship falling to his knees gasping for breath to settle his raging stomach.

Dominique and Derrick walked down the gangplank and went to Wolfram's side. The child placed her hand on her father's head stroking his soft blonde hair. "Poor daddy, is your tummy still upset?"

Wolfram turned to his daughter and smiled slightly. "Yes, but my tummy is doing much better now that the ground isn't moving beneath me." With the help of Derrick, Wolfram pulled himself to his feet.

Derrick looked around at the crowd milling about doing their daily tasks. He took another look around to see if he could see any of Wolfram's brothers. Upon not seeing anyone, he frowned. "No one is here to meet us. Did you send them a letter saying we were coming?"

"Actually, no," said Wolfram glancing at the red head sheepishly from beneath yellow bangs. The inventor stared at his friend in shock. Then he sighed shaking his head. "Why am I not surprised." Wolfram poked out his tongue at his friend.

Suddenly someone out of the crowd called Wolfram's name. Turning to see who was calling him, a smile spread across his face. "Andrew!" The two men ran toward each other and embraced.

"Lord Wolfram, it is so good to see you after all this time," said the young man. Like all the men that use to serve him, Andrew had a pretty face with neatly trimmed brown colored hair and a pair of baby blue eyes.

"I feel the same way," said Wolfram pulling himself out of the embrace.

"Does Lord von Voltair know you were suppose to arrive today?"

"Well, no one knows that I am here. When Conrad sent word about Yuu being here, I had to get here as soon as possible." He sighed. "How is Yuu doing?"

"Well." Andrew was hesitant to tell him but decided to tell his old commander. "Well, from what I heard from the maids, it was a nightmare. The boy accused everyone of not caring about you. And when Doria and Lasagna tried talking to him, he actually threatened to burn their faces off."

"Oh hell,” groaned Wolfram raking his fingers through his hair.

"He spent the majority of his time with us," said Andrew. "We would tell him stories about all the adventures you and His Majesty had together. He seemed surprised when we told him of the time His Majesty stepped in front of that arrow saving your life.”

Wolfram sighed. "So where is he now?"

"Well, he and His Majesty have been on Earth for over a week now."

Wolfram's eyes widened in shock. "Why would Yuuri take Yuu to Earth?"

"Well, you did say His Majesty still had family on that other world. Perhaps he took Yuu there to meet them. And also, so he and Yuu could have some time together," offered Derrick.

The young man looked at the strange red hair man narrowing his eyes. He looked familiar but Andrew could not figure out where he could have seen this man before.

"Oh, Andrew. This is Derrick von Karebelnikoff," the blonde said distracted.

Then it hit him. Anissina. He looked like a male version of the woman. "An honor to meet you, sir," said Andrew bowing to the man. "May I ask? Are you related to Lady Anissina?"

"Yes I am. I am her cousin from the other side of the world."

"So, what we heard was true." The young man looked at his ex commander. "You were living on the other side of the world."

Wolfram just nodded his head. "Oh, before I forget. This is my little angel, Dominique Gilbit. Dominique, this is an old friend of mines, Andrew Masterson."

"Please to meet you," said Dominique curtseying.

"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Dominique," Andrew said smiling at the little girl. Suddenly a huge black panther strolled off the ship.

The crowd screamed in shock and horror as they backed away from the wild animal. Andrew was about to draw his sword but Wolfram grabbed his friend's hand stopping him. "You don't have to worry. This is Shadow. He is Dominique's guardian." Then he turned to the crowd. "Please everyone, do not fear. He will not harm anyone." The crowd stared at the big cat skeptically but they continued their daily chores warily while around the wild animal.

"Are you sure about this Wolfe?" Andrew frowned as he watched the cat sit down beside the little girl.

"I am positive." Wolfram smiled at the skeptical expression on his friend's face.

"Very well." Then he smiled. "I here congratulation is in order."

Wolfram blushed as he looked anywhere but in his friend's eyes. "Thank you."

"We were all so happy when His Majesty said you would be returning and that the two of you were getting married. I want you to know that everyone is thrilled about the news."

"Yeah, well, I was more thrilled than all of you put together." Wolfram sighed. "To think it took fourteen years for that wimp to marry me."

Andrew laughed. "And His Majesty has been walking on clouds everysince he returned."

"Yeah. Now the only obstacle Yuuri has to get over is his son anger," said the blonde. Then a smile spread across his face. "But I have faith that Yuuri will finally win Yuu over. Anyway, since no one knows we are here. We need transportation to the castle.”

"Of course," said the young demon smiling mischievously. "Anything for our future . . . Queen.” Then he and Derrick burst out laughing.

Wolfram glared over at the red hair inventor and then slapped his friend behind the head scowling at him half heartedly. “Jerk.“

Once his laughter subsided, he said, “You can ride with me and my men."

Wolfram arched a blonde brow. "Your men?"

"Well, after you left, Lord von Voltair appointed me as the new commander of your soldiers." The young man scratched the side of his nose embarrassed. "I said I would only accept the offer until you come back."

"I hope you plan on keeping the commission," said Wolfram smiling at his friend. "I couldn't have picked a better man than you to take my place." The smile widened on his face. "Besides, there is no need for me to take back my old position." Then the smile dropped from his face to become serious. "Why are you out here anyway?"

"We are here on patrol. Some human bandits have been attacking the port as of late."

"I see. Well, I know you and the other will be able to handle anything those bandits have to throw at you." He grasped the brown hair man on the shoulder.


"Thank you." Andrew rested a hand on the blonde's shoulder smiling widely at him. "And let me be the first to welcome you back home, Wolfram."

"Thank you my friend," said Wolfram smiling.

Then Andrew turned to the Dominique and Derrick. "Welcome to you as well, Lady Dominique and Lord Derrick. Welcome to Shin Makoku."

"We are the ones that are honored to be here in our ancestral home," said Derrick.

"Well, since we have been offically welcomed to the demon kingdom. We would consider ourselves to be in the most capable hands for delivering us to Blood Pledge Castle." Wolfram grinned. "Lead the way, Captain."

"Let me take that," said Andrew picking up Wolfram and Dominique's bags. Derrick pouted, as he had to carry his own heavy bag. Then they followed the brown hair soldier to the temporary barracks for his men.