Disclaimer : I do not own Kyo Kara Maoh. I don't even own any action figures, the manga or even the anime on DVD. I wish dearly though. Even if I did have those things, that doesn't mean I have any right to claim that these characters are mine. They really aren't. This particular story is mine though.

Characters/Pairings : Günter, Yuuri, Conrad and Gwendal mainly. Other characters make an appearance. No defined pairings. If any of you readers wish to read this with a defined pairing in mind, then be my guest.

WARNING : This story may contain unintentional spoilers for the first, second, and possibly the third season. Read at your own risk.

Rating : K+ - Might have mild swearing and violent themes.

Chapter Summary : Günter's hysterics over his precious Heika being missing or away are not always unfounded. Sometimes his majesty really has befallen into danger. Or is about to. But just what is really going on?

Chapter One
- A Kidnapped Maoh -

Anything that could rouse someone in the early morning of the day was something that was not greeted with any enthusiasm. That being, someone shouting at the top of their lungs desperately while running through the corridors of the Blood Pledge Castle was for certian one of the things on the very top of Gwendal's list. Especially at 5 o'clock in the morning.

What was the sound that had roused the head of the von Voltair family? It was Günter, who was wailing at the top of his lungs, dashing madly down the hallway.

"Heika!" He called, his hands cupped around his mouth as he called out. "Heika! Where are you!?"

Usually, this would be a non-event. Generally, the Maou sometimes 'disappeared' whenever Günter wanted to impart some of his vast knowledge of the world unto him. But, in general, five o'clock in the morning was not the usual time that Günter liked to have his majesty learn the ways of Shin Makoku and various other knowledges of their world.

Five o'clock in the morning was also when Gwendal did not like to be woken up if he did not need to be. So to hear von Christ's cries echoing through the halls and by his room was not something that Gwendal enjoyed to hear in the slightest.

"Heika!" Günter called out again, getting slightly more desperate with each call.

Something was wrong. Something was amiss. Where was his majesty? He had been up early to do a short walk around the castle to see if everything was alright as the winter progressed, and when he went to double-check on his majesty, the 27th Maou of Shin Makoku, he came to find that he was not in his bedroom as he should have been.

He dashed down another hallway. Where could he have gone? What more, Greta was sound asleep in the bed, as was Wolfram, and surely they would have noticed if the Maou had gone missing. But there they were, asleep as if nothing was the matter at all. That just did not sit right with Günter. He did not like the feeling it brought him.

Something had to be amiss. He had been having a feeling of a bad omen for a while now, for nearly two weeks, and he was beginning to grow more anxious. It felt like an eerie darkness that was creeping around corners.

"Heika!?" Günter cried again, and he slammed open a door to a room that sometimes Yuuri was found. He wanted to cry out in despair when he found no king before him. It was nothing more than an empty room.

His hands tangled in his hair and he wailed. "Heika!? What have I done to deserve this!? Oh great Shinou, what has happened to his majesty!?"

He began to dash again, passing by Gwendal's room, unknowing that he had woken the man up from a slumber that the other so direly needed.

Günter called out again, pulling open a random set of doors. He was going to step forward into the 'room', when he found, much to his dismay, that it was not a room at all. But rather, a rather lengthy set of stairs that turned down into a deep and dark cellar below. He was just about to call out 'Heika!' still unaware of his prediciment, when he lost his footing and he tumbled forward, cutting him off before he could even speak.

Before he could meet one-hundred and fifty stone stairs and a wall, a strong pair of arms looped themselves around his waist, saving him from the grisly fate that nearly befall him.

Günter, who had jammed his eyes shut, peered open one of them, then sighed in obvious relief when he realized that he was not currently falling down a flight of stone steps. In fact, he seemed to be held up by someo- ... Oh.

A angry voice came from behind him, gruff and annoyed; it was also clearly attached to whomever was holding Günter from his doom. "Not only have you have probably woken up half the castle with your wailing, and nearly manage to severely injure yourself... You did all of this, at five o'clock in the morning."

Günter blinked, he turned his head slowly as Gwendal pulled Günter back, set him on the ground again, and slammed the door to the cellar shut with a rough growl. Gwendal, who was still in his sleepwear, crossed his arms, and shot the other man such a dirty look that Günter almost had a half a mind to turn and flee. Sometimes, the other military man was a force to reckon with when he was particularly peeved.

He did not, however flee from the foreboding man, instead he cleared his throat with a wary cough in his hand. "A-ah... Gwendal..." me managed sheepishly, casting him wary smile.

"What the hell are you thinking Günter? Not even his majesty would have to be up at this hour to suffer through your lessons," he said, his voice thick with anger and his tone icy. "You very well know that he prefers to sleep in, especially in weather such as this. In fact," he added with an exceptionally sour look. "So would I."

Günter's eyes lit up all of the sudden. "... H-heika! That's right! His majesty!" The calling and the cause for Günter's behavior came flooding back to the lilac-haired man.

He grabbed onto the front of Gwendal's night-shirt desperately, the expression reflecting in his own eyes. "Gwendal! We have an emergency!"

Von Voltaire blinked, then his eyes narrowed. He was not normally ever in the mood for Günter's antics, and he was even less so in the mood at that very moment. His voice was calling for no nonsense and absolutely no stupidity, "Oh? An emergency?" It was as if he was daring Günter to claim some stupid reason for his wailing in the morning.

However, Günter was not deterred, his grip on the front of Gwendal's clothes tightened.

"Heika -" he began, "- His majesty is missing!"

This took Gwendal off slightly, but he hardened back. "What do you mean, 'his majesty is missing'? Are you sure that he isn't trying to avoid you? You insufferable excuse for a teacher," he bit. Normally, he would have censored himself enough to not say such a grating comment. There was only so much filtering his brain could do at five o'clock in the morning in the dead of winter.

He would blame the early morning hours if Günter commented on his rudeness at a later time.

Günter did not seem to notice the end of his comment, and only responded to the beginning. "I mean just that! His majesty is not in his bed! I was doing my morning rounds, and when I went to check on his majesty, he was not there!"

"..." Gwendal fell silent.

Günter continued, "We have to find him! This is very important! We must not waste any time! We have to go-" he then turned, grabbing onto Gwendal's wrist as if he was to drag him with him.

Gwendal was as moveable as a mountain when he wanted to be.

"Did it ever cross your mind that his majesty had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the morning?" he shot out with obvious anger. He did not need to deal with this. "He could be back in bed right now, and all you have managed to do is wake people up over nothing."

Günter fumbled with that. He had not... thought about that... Certainly in his desperation to locate his beloved majesty, the concept that he had been just going to the bathroom at the time had not even crossed the advisors mind. Maybe the recent feelings of anxiousness were to blame for his current scattered thoughts...

Gwendal was the one to grab Günter's wrist, and he proceeded to drag him back towards the Maou's chambers. To prove to the lilac-haired advisor that he was indeed wrong, that he needed to go back to bed, and that he was freaking out over nothing. Then maybe, he could go back to bed himself, and get some sleep.

Günter though, was still uncertain. He bit his lip as he was pulled towards the Maou's chambers. He could not shake the feeling that something was amiss. Everyone has had the feeling of being watched before, and it is always certainly unnerving to feel like someone was watching. The sensation that he had been feeling for the past two weeks was not unlike that feeling at all; except, it felt like someone was watching Yuuri. Like some great dark shadow was looming over his king. Normally, a thing like Yuuri being out of bed at five in the morning would be a non-event to him, but with the anxiety he had been feeling, and the feeling like something sinister was surrounding his king... it was not something he could just let pass. Something was wrong.

Gwendal pushed him in front of the Maou's door, and he ushered for him to go and open it. "Go on. Go and find his majesty in his bed, and get it over with."

Hesitantly, Günter's hand hovered over the handle, before he took it and pushed the large door open. He entered the room quietly, his boots tapping lightly on the floor. With equal grace, he reached out and pulled back the blanket, and away from the two forms in the bed.

Gwendal's eyes widened when it was revealed by an equally startled Günter, that Yuuri was not one of the forms in the bed. It was just Greta and Wolfram; both sound asleep as if nothing was the matter in the slightest.

The elder of the two asleep in the bed muttered, eyebrows furrowing, "Wimp... it's cold..." his hand reached out and took the cover that had been pulled from him and it was pulled up tightly over his shoulders again. Wolfram curled into a warm ball and resumed his slumber with Greta snuggled into his side.

Günter was about to cry out again in despair; his majesty had not returned! He had already been looking for him for half an hour! He would not have taken that long to merely go to the bathroom! Something must have happened! But before he could let any words escape his lips, Gwendal was beside him, shushing him with one finger pressed firmly against Günter's lips, dragging him out of the room.

He closed the door quietly, and then proceeded to drag Günter away from the slumbering Wolfram and Greta before letting Günter speak.

"See!? His majesty is not here! I knew it! I knew it! I knew I was not imagining things when something seemed wrong! I Should have listened to my instincts and gone looking for him! Now I have certainly managed to doom his majesty by keeping his mouth shut!" Günter rambled with initial despair. His hands fisted at his purple hair, looking almost as if he'd pull out his lilac-locks out from the very roots. But his panicked tone was starting to be replaced with honest-to-goodness worry.

Gwendal's eyes narrowed. "Günter. Please keep your voice down. We cannot assume anything has happened to his Majesty."

"But -"

"No. While it is unusual for his majesty to be out of bed at this hour, we do not have any proof to raise the alarm on his 'absence' quite yet, Günter. I think it would be best if we looked for him for a while longer to see where he has gone."

Günter nodded quietly, his hands removed themselves from his hair, and a quiet fell between the two long-haired military men.

After a minute or two, Günter glanced down the hall where they had come from. "Ah... Gwendal...?"

"... Hmn?"

"To be perfectly honest with you, I have been having a bad feeling for the past while concerning his majesty," he explained quietly, his hands hanging down in his lap, fingers knitted together loosely.

"I was going to question you about that," Gwendal said as he started to calmly walk down the hall. "You mentioned that you had been feeling that something seemed wrong, didn't you?"

Günter nodded and matched von Voltaire's steps. "Yes. That is true. I had gathered that I might have been imagining things, so I chose not to mention it. Now I feel that was not a smart decision." He bowed his lead lightly. "I apologize."

Gwendal grunted. At least now he had an explanation for even unusual behavior on Günter's behalf. "It is fine. To try to raise his majesty's protection because of a 'bad feeling' would have been more irresponsible. But still," he agreed, "it would be best if you mention these things when you feel them, Lord von Christ."

"Yes..."

It had been exactly two weeks previous that the feelings had started. Ironically, it had come with the snowfall. He had been sitting with his majesty and the other nobles for breakfast when the feeling had initially started. Like something was watching his king darkly from behind. Sinister and evil eyes. He could not, at that time, ascertain whether he was imagining it, or if it was actually there. He had not shown it on his face, but he had kept his eyes on all dark corners of the room after that feeling. It had not left until Yuuri had gotten up to start his duties for the day with Gwendal.

The next time he felt it, was the very next day. He had been walking outside, past Yuuri and Greta who were playing in the snow making what the king called 'snow angels' and 'snowmen'. The feeling made him stop dead in his tracks and look out into the winter-y whiteness. Yet again, such malice and hate. Like whoever had been looking at Yuuri was wishing his death just by looking at him. Günter decided then to spend the rest of his own studies outside with Yuuri, incase whoever was behind those eyes decided to act upon their wishes.

No such thing happened.

The pattern continued throughout the past two weeks, it did not matter if he was in the library with his majesty, eating breakfast with him, or just happening to pass by. That feeling was still hovering over his king. When it neared the end of the past week, whatever it was that surrounded his majesty had not lifted an inch. It was like it followed him everywhere he went, and Günter sometimes had trouble being near the king because of the scathing hatred that surrounded him. It was almost nauseating.

Gwendal blinked and looked at Günter seriously at the end of his short tale of the past two weeks. "A feeling of hatred?"

"Yes... it is no better described than like that. I thought that I might have been imagining it, but..." he sighed. "Whenever I tried to bring myself to speak of it, I found myself talking myself out of bringing it up with anyone."

"And it only has been around his majesty? Nobody else?"

"Nobody else. The feeling has only ever conjured itself around his majesty, nor has anyone else seemed to notice it." Günter admitted. "I feel that is one of the reasons why I did not mention it."

Gwendal grunted. "Something like that is not normal. Even if you had been imagining it, it would not be so specific as that, or lasted this long without something else being obviously wrong with your head."

Günter just nodded. "Yes... I know..."

As they talked, they continued to walk down the hallways, looking in various rooms to see if they could locate Yuuri. It was evident by what Günter said, that Gwendal's own outlook on the situation was falling under serious concern as well.

"I have one more thing to add," Günter said after they turned up yet another empty room. "Last night, at supper, I found the hate pushed against his majesty to be the most powerful, I had trouble focusing." He then amended, "The feeling lasted long enough that my sleep was also fitful."

"... That would explain why you did not eat or speak during the meal. I was curious if you were ill. I am sure that his majesty had noticed as well."

Normally, Günter would have gushed about being noticed by his beloved majesty. No doubt, he would have clasped his hands in a near girlish glee and pined over the fact that they had to find him faster so he could thank his majesty in person. But no such thing happened, instead, Günter nodded quietly.

They opened yet another door to an empty room, and it was nearing five-thirty in the morning. Gwendal let out a growl of frustration and he ran a hand through his hair.

"Günter," he began. "I want you to find Lord Weller and inform him of everything you have told me, and everything that has transpired this morning. I also want you to keep Wolfram out of this until we can confirm that his majesty is missing," he ordered.

Günter nodded quickly.

"I'm going to go and get changed and gather my thoughts and then rejoin you in front of my office. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Günter nodded. "I understand."

And with no further word, the advisor to the Maou turned in a swirl of silvery fabric, and disappeared down the hallway to Conrad's quarters.

- - -

With quick footsteps Günter made it to Conrad's room, in good time. Without a moments hesitation, he knocked loudly on Conrad's door, hoping that the man was awake, or that if he was not, that the knock was loud enough to wake him.

He needn't wait long. There were the sounds of shifting and movement inside the room, the closet closing, oddly enough, and of someone's feet shuffling towards the door.

Günter felt his breath turn to ice, and that feeling of hatred and disgust towards the Maou returned. He felt as if his breath should have been mist before him, the coldness that was radiating from Conrad's room was so heavy that he felt that all the air should have frozen. It threw him off, and he shakily grabbed for his sword handle. Waiting for whoever was behind the door to not be the Maou's retainer.

It was Conrad though, who pushed open the door, and stood before the advisor in the hallway.

Günter stumbled over his words, his grip on the sword lessened, but it hovered still over the handle. "C-Conrad..."

Conrad's curious expression melted away fast, and a concerned expression replaced it instantly. He put a hand on the elder Mazoku's shoulder.

"Günter? What is it? What's wrong?"

"..." Günter looked slightly like a deer caught in headlights, and was having trouble formulating a thought. "His majesty," he managed. "His majesty is missing," he finished stiffly, the radiating hate that came from the room was suffocating, even though the feeling of it seemed to be dissipating some. He still could only focus on the man that was standing before him.

An elephant wearing a pink tu-tu could have crashed through the wall beside Conrad, pirouetted with Yozak in a lurid lime green gown, pranced down the hallway, and Günter would not have noticed in the slightest.

"He is?" Conrad asked; an unusually calm response, given the circumstances. Then again, it could be argued that nobody else seemed to have noticed the strange aura that was focused on his majesty.

Günter nodded numbly.

For a second, Conrad glanced behind him, his head moving only a fraction of an inch. Almost as if he had sensed something behind him. But he shrugged it off with a whiff of air through his nose when he glanced back to see that Günter had not noticed it at all. Instead, an unusual smile appeared on Conrad's face.

"I believe that his majesty is safe... Günter," Conrad pressed, and he turned Günter around with his hands. His voice was laced with worry, however. Though the concern, as Günter may have believed it was intended for his majesty, was intended for the lilac advisor infront of him.

Günter let himself be turned, but he argued what Conrad had said. "No! No! His majesty is not here. I do not believe he is safe in the slightest!" The words came faster when he realized that he could breathe and speak again. The miasma of hate had dissipated as if it had hopped out of Conrad's window and disappeared into the night.

"Günter..." Conrad tried, "I believe his majesty is safe because I had seen him not too long ago."

Günter blinked, and turned his head towards Conrad, who had closed the door to his quarters behind him and was standing in the hallway with the advisor. "... You did?"

Conrad nodded with a light smile. "I did."

"... Why did you see him at five o'clock in the morning...? Or, four-something, depending on when you saw his majesty..." he questioned the half-mazoku.

Conrad rubbed the back of his head lightly as if trying to come up with something on the spot. It would not be very noticeable to anyone else. Anyone else would have seen it as a gesture of trying to remember why he had seen the teenaged king. Günter, however, who had the joys of teaching Conrad, knew that gesture meant otherwise, as did the expression on his face. That is, if Günter could fully concentrate he would have noticed the difference.

Conrad then ushered for them to start walking down the hall. "I do not know why I saw his majesty, I assumed he was getting up to fetch something to drink. He so happened to be up and have the same idea as I did when I saw him," he explained. "I assume that he went right back to bed."

"... And when was this?"

"... Ten minutes ago." Conrad quickly threw out.

"Ah... I see..." Günter ran his hand through his hair. Surely Conrad would not lie about these things. He was his majesty's official retainer, of course, and he would not so casually dismiss the idea of the Maou being missing if there was a real problem at hand.

As they walked back down the hallway, Conrad looked at him curiously. "Is there anything the matter? You seem be off."

Günter shook his head to dismiss that question, but then paused, reasoning otherwise. "I am uncertain. I think I might be ill. I shall talk to Gisela in the afternoon." He turned his head to Conrad. "But first, we must meet Gwendal in front of his office. I believe I have managed to push something far out of proportion than it needed to be."

"Ah." Conrad nodded quietly, and they walked off in the direction of Gwendal's office.

- - -

When they approached Gwendal, the other man was waiting for them in his full-uniform, arms crossed. Lines of irritability and stress were already evident in his forehead, but the former was more prominent than anything. He watched them approach.

When they came close enough, Gwendal spoke. "I assume that Günter has informed you of the situation?"

Conrad nodded, but Günter spoke before he could. "Never mind Gwendal. Conrad said that he had seen his majesty prior to me arriving there."

Conrad added to it, "I assumed Heika was fetching a drink of water from the kitchens. I saw him ten or fifteen minutes ago. His majesty went back to bed soon afterwards."

"Ah," Gwendal nodded. "That would make since of why we did not see him in his chambers when we went to double-check his absence. When did we look Günter? Half an hour ago?"

The lilac-haired man nodded, not looking very pleased with himself at all. Actually, the other man had been rather quiet about the whole matter ever since Conrad had confirmed that Yuuri had been safe. His gaze was to the floor, or to his hands that were loosely clasped in front of himself. It was not usual for the elder Mazoku to have such a disposition, and Conrad noted this right away.

"... Günter ... Are you sure you are alright? You are very quiet; and you seem off somehow." Conrad put a hand on Günter's shoulder when he asked the question.

"Ah... it is nothing. I think I need to lay down," he said. Despite the fact he did not feel ill in the slightest. Rather, he felt rather silly for the whole misunderstanding, and wanted to retreat away so he could gather his own thoughts again.

As he turned to retreat to his own rooms for a few hours, he spotted a black-clad person walking in their direction down the hallway. A certain black-haired, black-eyed person. This said person was also carrying a black bag with them, and did not seem to notice the three mazoku standing down the hallway from him at all.

"... Heika?" Günter questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

Yuuri's head snapped up at his name being uttered, and he froze in the hallway, startled. The young king looked between Conrad, Gwendal and Günter, before focusing on Conrad with a look of pure panic. Yuuri's hand tightly gripped the bag, and he hid it behind his back quickly as if he did not want any of them to see what he had in his hands.

Gwendal's eyebrow shot up, and Günter made to dash towards his king.

"Heika!" he called out, as if disregarding their entire morning as-so-far, and falling back into his usual 'hysterics'. "I have been so worried! When I did not see you in bed, I had feared the worst!"

Yuuri shot Conrad a desperate look, shuffling backwards slightly as if Gwendal or Günter could see what was in the bag, let alone the bag from the distance they were at from him. His retainer gave a grin and dashed forward when the panicked look was sent in his direction.

"Sorry," he pleasantly said, as he gave Günter a shove, staggering the other off his collision course with the Maou, and with another swift movement, overtook him, grabbing Yuuri around the waist.

"A-ah! Conrad!" Yuuri shouted in surprise.

Hefting the Maou under his arm as if the other weighed nothing, Conrad tore off down the hallway, and quickly rounded a corner before the other two men left in the hallway could so much as think of what had happened.

Yuuri gave a few startled and desperate shouts that echoed down the hallway. "Conrad! Conrad what are you doing!? Conrad!"

The sound of Conrad shushing him was the last thing they heard. After that, silence.

Gwendal had been too busy while the split-second incident had occurred. He caught Günter deftly around the shoulders before the other could crash head-long into the wall in front of him. What happened did not instantly register in his brain, he was too dumbfounded to think.

That is, until Günter wailed, "His majesty has been kidnapped!" his hands going to the sides of his face in pure despair, "by Conrad no less!"

Gwendal growled as he set Günter upright again. He glared in the direction that Conrad took off with the king. Without further word to Günter, he dashed off in the direction that Conrad had run off to. And with another wail, Günter followed pursuit soon afterwards.

If and when he caught up to them, Gwendal bitterly thought, Conrad was going to have some damn explaining to do.

Author Notes : This story is actually based off of a one-shot that I had written two weeks ago called, "Worth the Trouble." I won't be posting the one-shot, since the plots are similar, and to post it would reveal some of this story. They are very different, but also similar enough that it'd be redundant and silly to post both.

Also, at the end of every chapter I shall have "Author Notes" - a place were I can yatter at you about the process of the chapter, "World Info" - where I can tell you about things that I've injected into the world (within reason), and "Chapter Previews," where you can get a sneak little summary of the chapter to come to keep you interested.

Thanks for reading!

World Info : Just what the heck is happening, eh? Conrad seems to be acting too casual for what is going on. Günter also seems to be feeling off. Just what is really going on? You don't think I'd tell you, do you? No way.

Chapter Two Preview : Conrad has kidnapped the Maou. Has Conrad defected once more, or is something entirely different happening in Blood Pledge Castle?

Please read and review. No flames. The flames of misdeeds shall be extinguished by the good 27th Maou of Shin Makoku. He does not usually shed blood, but he will make an exception on that case. Oh, and all reviews are appreciated and help me know what I'm doing right so I can continue to keep all of you pleased.