The Heat of the Moment

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

Chapter 9

The day had just begun as Gisela walked into her office carrying her breakfast which consisted of eggs, bacon and toast and a glass of juice. Placing the plate on her desk, she was about to finish up some reports when she heard a gentle pecking at her window. She turned around and gasped in shock. Seeing the large hawk, she immediately opened the window to let the bird inside. The bird shrieked as it hopped into the room.

As the messenger hawk settled on its perch that was situated neared the opened window, Gisela had opened the brown pouch and took out a letter. It has been a long while since she last heard from her friend. She stared at the huge bird as its black eyes seemed to bore into her soul. The bird was really starting to creep her out. She began to wonder if the bird understood what they were saying and what they were trying to do. Gwendal and the others tried following it but the bird disappeared over the mountains. The angry earth wielder came back angrier than a bear with its paw caught in a trap. So, they had to wait until wolfram sent his next letter. It was now five months later and at last a letter arrived. She sat down at her desk picking up the letter. Opening the envelope, she was about to read it when Yuuri and others burst into her office. The hawk flapped its wings in agitation and shrieked in outrage at the disturbance.

Yuuri came to a halt and cautiously made his way to Gisela’s desk. He didn’t know why but the bird’s eyes kept following him. It was starting to make his skin crawl. For now, he put the freaky bird out of his mind and concentrated on finding out what was in Wolfram’s letter.

"Did Wolfram send me a letter?" Yuuri asked anxiously.

"I'm sorry, your majesty but he only sent a letter to me," Gisela said apologetically. "I was just about to read it."

"Well, what does he say?" asked Gwendal.

"Now Gwendal," said Murata, "we shouldn't be too pushy. The letter is after all for Gisela."

The elder man only grumbled as he waited to see if Gisela will read them the letter or let them read it themselves. Gisela opened the letter and began to read. She gasped as she stared at Yuuri with sad sympathetic green eyes.

"Uh, what is it?" Yuuri asked worried. "Has something happened?"

"In a manner of speaking, are you sure you wish to read this, your majesty?" she asked.

"Is it something bad?"

"You decide for yourself." She reached him the letter.

'Dear gisela,

I am sorry it has taken so long for me to write you. Thank you for letting me know what has been happening and thank Conrad and Gwendal for their letters. Tell them that I miss them also and that I love them very much. As for his majesty, any letters he sends will be treated the same as the first one. I will burn it without looking at it. There is nothing he can say that can make me come back. Not even finding out that he is single again. What happens to him is no longer my concern. He made his decision when he wanted to marry a girl. I have no set plans to return any time soon. Just because Yuuri has divorced his wife does not mean, I will come running back to him and falling into his arms. Too much has already happened for me to let him back into my heart. Although I never really hated Yuuri. Right now I can’t forget all that has happened. I know you’re thinking it has been over three years but some wounds take longer to heal. If they heal at all. You reap what you sow. I believe that that old Shin Makoku saying fits the situation with his majesty to the core. Besides, I am married now and I do not intend to break Ellis' heart as Yuuri did to mine.

Anyway, even if I wasn't married, I still would not come back to him. The things he said to me were hurtful and insulting. Not only did he humiliate me in front of my family but he did it in front of other dignitaries and the castle staff. Even our enemies knew that his majesty had rejected me. There was nothing but pain and anguish when we were together. So what’s the use of me coming back into a painful relationship like that again. I’m not that much of a masochist. I may love Yuuri more than anything in this world but I refuse to fall into his arms as though nothing has happened. I can’t afford to love Yuuri like that again. My heart can’t take the pain of him turning away again. I’m not sure I would survive a second time if he decides to throw me and Yuu away because some woman batted her eyelashes at him.' Yuuri touched the smeared ink on the letter as his heart ached at what the smear meant. He was crying. His sweet beloved Wolfram was crying because of his ignorance. He could feel his own tears misting over his eyes but he held them back from falling down his cheeks.

Anyway, enough about that pathetic wimp. I have some wonderful news to tell you. Yuu was very excited when I told him the good news. I am going to have a baby for Ellis. I know you're surprised. I didn't think it was possible myself but it is . . . true.'

As Yuuri slowly lowered the letter, a look of utter devastation marred his face. Gwendal and the others looked at their young king puzzled.

"Well, what does it say?" asked Gwendal frowning as he saw Yuuri’s slight form tremble while he was reading the letter.

"It says here that he . . . he is going to have . . . to have Ellis' baby," Yuuri said sadly. Shaky hands reached the letter back to Gisela as he turned and walked out without saying another word to anyone.

"But, that's not possible, is it?" asked Gunter staring at his daughter.

"No, it's not," said Gisela. “I mean it shouldn’t be. I have never heard of a demon giving birth to another man’s child while his heart and soul belong to another.”

“What do you think about this, Great Sage?” said Gwendal turning to the dark hair young man.

“It’s possible but in order for Wolfram to become pregnant for someone other than Shibuya,” said Murata walking across the room and looking out the window. He watched as Yuuri walked through the court yard in a daze on his way to the garden. “It would mean he has come across the Coven.”

“The Coven?” asked Gisela frowning. “Who or what is the Coven?”

“They are a clan of witches that is loyal only to Shinou.” He turned from the window to stare at them.

“I remember reading something about them in some of the old history text,” said Gunter trying to remember all that he had read about the Coven. “They were quite powerful and that demons would come from near and far seeking their help.”

“Yes, and one of the things they came to see them about was for an elixir called The Chameleon.” Murata sat on the edge of Gisela’s desk.

“What is this Chameleon elixir?” asked Gisela.

“It was a potion known only to those in the Coven. This potion would enable a demon male to become pregnant for someone other than their true love.” Suddenly the light reflected off Murata’s glasses hiding his eyes. “But the potion was dangerous.”

“How so?” asked Gwendal.

“It’s nothing too serious unless he takes it more than once,” said the young sage. “The potion becomes toxic if it is consumed more than once. It will make the person who is taking it sterile.”

“I see.” Gwendal lowered his head in thought. Then he looked at the great sage. “So, it’s safe to say that he has come across this Coven.”

Murata nodded his head. “Yes. They are the only ones that knew how to make the elixir.”

"Do you think his majesty will want to find Wolfram now?" asked Gunter staring at the opened door that Yuuri had walked through.

"It does not matter if he wants to look for Wolfram or not," said Gwendal frowning deeply. "Conrad and I will continue. We have one nephew and another on the way that we know nothing about. I would like to get to know them. And I’m sure mother would love to see her grandchildren as well."

"So, what do we do?" asked Murata.

"Gisela write your letter to Wolfram and we will see where this bird goes."

"But the last time it flew over the mountains and we lost it," said Gunter.

"I’ve got it all figured out. I will have some of my men posted on the other side of the mountain. When they see the bird coming, they will continue to follow it and then report back to me where the hawk went and who it belongs to."

"Very well, I’ll start on my letter right away," said Gisela.

"No, take as long as you like. It will give my men more time to get into position," said Gwendal.

"Okay." She sat at her desk. "Since I am to stalling for time, you should get your men on their way while I finish these reports before writing my letter."

Gwendal grunted and turned to walked out of the room followed by Gunter and Murata.

“Are you sure this will work, Lord von Voltaire?” asked the Great Sage.

“No, but we can’t just sit around waiting for Wolfram to decide he’s ready to come home.” Then he turned and walked away with Gunter close behind him.

xxxxx

Yuuri was in the center of the garden sitting beneath a large Rain Tree. He watched as a gentle breeze raked its invisible fingers through the branches gathering up a handful of the white flowers and then made them dance before him in a blizzard of white and red snow. A single white flower gently settled on his hand and he picked it up. Staring at the white flower with its crimson stamen, he sighed as he held the flower up and let the wind take it away. There was a blue bird perched on the rim of a sundial shaped bird bath singing happily. Yuuri scowled in irritation as he picked up one of the seed pods and threw it at the bird. The pod splashed in the water scaring the blue bird away. Yuuri was so caught up in his thoughts that he did not see Conrad and Josak walk toward him carrying their twins, Roland and Rachel.

"Your majesty," said Conrad stopping in front of him, “is something wrong?" He frowned at the faraway glaze look in the younger man’s eyes.

"Hey Conrad and it's Yuuri," he said flatly.

The brown hair man smiled as he stared at his godson. "What's wrong, Yuuri? You don't seem like yourself today."

The black hair man sighed and stared up into the older man's eyes. "It’s Wolfram. Gisela received a letter a few minutes ago."

“Oh, I see.” Then Conrad turned to his husband and placed the infant boy in his arms. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," said the orange hair man. "I wouldn't mind spending some time with my little ones but don't be long mommy." He placed a chaste kiss on Conrad's cheek and left with the infants.

Conrad smiled as he watched his family walk away. Then he sat down beside his unhappy godson. "Now, has something happened to Wolfram?"

"No. I mean yes. I mean," he stuttered and then released a heavy sigh. "He's pregnant for his husband."

Conrad sat as though turned to stone. "Could you repeat that?"

"Wolfram is pregnant for the man he married."

"But how? I didn’t think it was possible for him to become pregnant for anyone else."

"Well, he found a way and now he is going to have a baby for this man," Yuuri snapped irritated.

Conrad arched a brown brow. 'Well now, this is interesting.' "Your majesty. I mean Yuuri." He corrected when he saw the glare the young monarch sent him. "You sound . . . rather angry that Wolfram is pregnant."

"I-I'm not angry." He folded his arms across his chest and hmphed.

"Sounds like it to me. Are you angry because Wolfram is now permanently tied to this man now that he is having a baby for him?" Suddenly the smile on his face became shrewd. "Or are you angry because Wolfram isn't having another baby for you?"

"Don't be silly. I’m just a little upset because Wolfram has not returned to let me see my son." He looked away. "I mean. I don't even know if Wolfram has told Yuu about me. And it just pisses me off that my son is calling some other man, father."

“I’m sure my brother-in-law is a good father to Yuu.” Conrad smirked at the angry scowl marring Yuuri’s face at the mention of the other man being Conrad’s brother-in-law and that this man was taking care of HIS son. “I’m sure Wolfram would never let anyone that would hurt Yuu near the boy. My brother can be stubborn sometimes but he loves children. Why else do you think he agreed to adopt Greta so easily.”

Yuuri felt his blood boil as he could not get the thought of this strange man playing with his son. Or this man holding Wolfram in his arms kissing and hugging him. When Wolfram first disappeared, he thought that the reason he always thought about the blonde was because he missed his friend. Maybe in the beginning, that’s what it was. But as the days turned to weeks and the weeks into months and the months into years, he slowly began to realize that his feelings for the blonde may have been something more. But still, he denied his feelings. He and Wolfram were both boys and boys did not marry each other.

/Aren't you tired of using that lame excuse, yet/," a dark insidious voice whispered in his ear. Yes, he was getting rather tired of saying that. It was a half ass attempt at hiding his true feelings at best. His mother and everyone were right. Love knows no gender.

Yes, he did miss how Wolfram use to chase him around the castle and he missed how the blonde’s warm body would mold perfectly against his body. That was the difference between Wolfram and Melinda. He was always warm and was able to sleep comfortably with Wolfram. But with Melinda, his rest wasn’t so comfortable. It was as though his body knew that this person beside him was not the one it wanted to be near. ‘Was I subconsciously longing to have Wolfram in my bed?’ No, it can’t be. If that was true than it would mean that he has always had loving feelings for the blonde. And that would mean, he was in fact a complete fool for turning away from his love. Yuuri silently groaned at the implication of him possibly being in love with Wolfram. He didn’t know if his feelings for Wolfram were that of love. Only time will tell but for right now, he had to see the blonde again. He wanted to look into those beautiful emerald orbs and hear his sweet voice. He wanted his Wolfe back.

'So you are angry.' Conrad watched the expressions flicker across the young king’s face. The emotions ranged from hurt, to anger, to disgust, misery and finally settled on resolve. ‘Have you come to a conclusion about something Yuuri?’ The dark hair monarch was silent for a long time lost in thought until Conrad decided to find out what would be his godson’s decision. "If you want to see your son then we should double our search for them, don't you think," said Conrad leaning his head against the trunk of the tree staring up into the sky smiling.

Yuuri thought about it for a moment. Should he continue to search for Wolfram. The demon prince is married and expecting a child for his husband. He felt a sharp stab of pain in his heart as he thought about Wolfram no longer being his fiance. It hurt to know that all the love Wolfram would have gladly showered on him was now being showered on some other man. But there was Yuu. He did not want his son to grow up thinking he hated him or that he hated his mother or father or whatever the hell one would call a male giving birth to a child. And he did not want Wolfram to think that he hated him also. With his resolve firmly in place, he knew what he had to do. He had to find them at all cost.

"You’re right” He turned to face Conrad. “It is time for us to find Wolfram and to introduce Yuu to his uncles and grandparents. I mean my mother has waited a long time to become a grandmother. Now that she is one, she doesn't even know what her grandson looks like." Yuuri jumped to his feet. "I have to find them. Even if Wolfram wants nothing to do with me anymore. I still want to be there for Yuu." He held a hand out to Conrad and the older man grasped it to pull himself to his feet.

"Then let's go find my brother and your son."

xxxxx

It was two hours later when Gisela was finished writing her letter. Yuuri had given her a letter to send along with hers. She placed the letters in the brown leather pouch that was strapped to the hawks’ back. Once the letter was secured, the hawk hopped off its perch and onto the window sill. Spreading its large wings, it took to the sky soaring over the castle and then over the forest. Yuuri, Gwendal, Josak, Murata and several of Gwendal’s men rode after the bird.

The hawk skimmed over the tree tops and then rose high on a wind current but they always kept the hawk in sight. Just as they thought, it was heading toward the mountain. ‘We will finally find you, little brother,’ thought Gwendal snapping the reins of his horse urging it to go faster.

"He won't escape us now," Gwendal said out loud. They rode the horses hard and fast. Just as they reached the foot of the mountain, the hawk doubled back and flew eastward away from the mountain. Gwendal swore as they turned the horses and went after it.

They followed it closely as they kept their heads to the sky. It seemed like hours but they had only been chasing the bird for a few minutes when Gwendal grabbed the reins to Yuuri’s horse jerking the animal to a violent halt and poor Yuuri was thrown from his horse. The dark hair monarch came within an inch of falling into water.

"Son of a . . . ," said Josak shocked. "That was a close call."

Yuuri got up off the ground to stare out at the raging ocean that cut them off from following the hawk. Everyone looked up as the hawk squawked and circled over them a few times and then flew over the water disappearing into the distance.

"Is it me or was that bird taunting us," said Josak frowning.

"I believe you are right," said Murata. "It came back intentionally after it was over the water to circle overhead."

“Do you think it understood what we were saying?” asked Yuuri. It sounded ridiculous but Yuuri began to wonder. The bird had always given him the creeps. Its black eyes would always follow him around the room. It was very unnerving at times. It was as though the bird was studying him. He shivered as he remembered those black soul piercing eyes looking at him as he handed the letter to Gisela.

“You could be right, Shibuya,” said the Great Sage. “Animals are very intelligent creatures and they become even more intelligent when they become the eyes and ears of a witch.”

“You think the witches that helped Wolfram are the master of that bird?” asked Gwendal.

“Hard to say but I would have to say yes.” Murata pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

“Witches? What witches?” asked Yuuri frowning at his friend.

“I’ll tell you about it later.” His friend smiled at him. “Anyway, the fact that the bird turned away from the mountain and headed out to sea proves that someone with incredible power is controlling it.”

"Well, it doesn't matter. It seems that for the time being that feathered fiend has outsmarted us, again." The earth wielder scowled as he stared out across the water. ‘You have escaped us this time but I will not stop until you are back where you belong Wolfram.’

"What do we do now?" asked Yuuri.

"What can we do except sit and wait for another chance to come along," said Josak.

"And I’m sure we will have another chance to find Wolfram," said Gwendal. "Now, let's get back before it becomes too dark." Yuuri got back upon his horse and they rode back to the castle empty handed once again.